


24/7

by Kamiizumi



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Series, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU, F/M, Graphic Sexual Content, Lots and lots of sex, lightis, nokurai, unadulterated smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:36:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4216707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamiizumi/pseuds/Kamiizumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The red string of fate spans eons and universes. What they had was timeless; twenty-four hours was not enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I. Miniskirt

**Author's Note:**

> so I'm finally posting my lightis fanfics to AO3! i figured it would be a good way to broaden my audience (especially since I find it so much more enjoyable to read fanfics here lmao)
> 
> anywho, enjoy~

**I: Miniskirt**

* * *

The ache in his pants had gone on for too long. Days and nights passing without so much as a minute's relief; he could only handle so much before he'd jump out his office window and dry-hump the nearest lamppost. The company had been neck-deep in work for nearly a month now, and Noctis Lucis Caelum was confined to his office from six to three on a daily basis, his libido having to succumb to a much-needed rest once he came home.

This went on for about a month now, and it hadn't done him any wonders. His busy schedule didn't let him off easy for at least another week or two, not even for a quick tug or two during the daytime (yes, he was willing to close all his blinds and lock his office door if need be, so to speak). If one looked closely enough, one can see very deep gouge marks in his dark mahogany desk from where he had been clutching the wood just a little too hard sometimes.

Noctis thought being the young CEO came with some perks, but his father was right: it was some pretty tough shit.

* * *

It was 6:48 am. The young businessman stepped into his modest, yet still grand, office and batted his eyelashes, his eyes ringed by deep, dark circles that no amount of concealer could ever hope to retouch. Setting his suitcase down and rummaging for his laptop, he immediately sensed the presence of someone quite familiar.

"The usual black, Mr. Caelum?"

Noctis turned around, meeting his secretary at the doorway. She stood there, a role model for all aspiring assistants out there, prim and proper yet with a confident elegance that had no match. In record time, he had fallen into a stupor, his cobalt eyes surveying over his assistant's body. Those hips encased in a short-but-not-too-short, well-fitted pencil skirt, accentuating the length of her legs and dipping into some very simple yet effective high-heels; her torso, hugged by a pale, rose-colored blouse that outlined the shape of her upper body in a way that made his knees weak, and especially her face: smooth and rosy cheeks, a slim nose, sufficiently plump, pink lips, and a strong, commanding gaze, framed by a pair of intelligent-looking glasses and wavy pink locks pulled back into a pony-

"Mr. Caelum, sir? A cup of black for you?"

"Huh- oh, what? Oh, yeah. Yes, please." Noctis blinked at his secretary profusely as he shook himself out of his reverie. She only gave him a slightly raised brow before leaving the room to attend her duties. The dark-haired man could only rub his eyes and groan before settling into his swivel chair for the rest of the morning. His paperwork wasn't magically going to do itself (but he knew something else that he wished could do itself).

* * *

 

"Dude, you look like shit."

"Thanks, like I needed to know that."

It was 12:45 pm. Noctis picked at his salad idly, a wave of discontent spread across his face as he squished a cherry tomato into submission. His mother would be livid if she'd found out he'd been playing with his vegetables again (the only reason why he's so fit and handsome now is because he finished all his veggies, so his mother says).

"But seriously, what's eating at you? No pun intended." Prompto swung his legs languidly on the side of his desk, intrigued at the way his best friend squished cherry tomatoes with a plastic fork. The blonde took a bite out of his burger and resumed chewing, not bothering to swallow before speaking again. "You've been like this for weeks now. Not getting any tail?"

The CEO shot him a boiling glare, and Prompto could only chuckle in return. "Not like you're getting any either. Vanille wouldn't let you touch her after she found out you were spending half your paycheck on that…that Mercenaries of Myth game or whatsit."

The flustered blonde scoffed and slammed his burger box down on the desk. "Hey, that game is really fun, okay? And I guess I'm fine for now, but I'm starting to get bored of my hand...," Prompto replied, scratching his head sheepishly while Noctis looked on in disgust. "Hmmm…you're not having any problems with the girlfriend, are you?"

Just as he was about to speak, the enigmatic secretary stepped into the office holding a thick binder with papers threatening to spill out of it.

"Sir, I've come to drop off these papers. Sorry for the interruption." Without any other word, she placed the thick black book on his desk and walked straight out the door before Noctis could even reply (his eyes were too busy watching her hips when she walked out of the room).

"…Come to think of it, I've never met your girlfriend before."

* * *

It was 3:37 pm. It was that point in the work day where productivity was its lowest, when everyone was on their third cup of coffee for the day, and for some, their fifth or sixth. Noctis was one of those people. His eyes were darting back and forth from his computer screen and his wall clock to the glass door of his office.

"… _Must…touch…now…!_ ," he thought, cobalt eyes wide with caution, peering straight past his glass windows and blinds, where all he saw were everyone sitting neatly in their cubicles, typing away on their desktops, texting on their phones, doing Etro-knows-what (he could care less at this moment; they could be playing Flappy Mog and he wouldn't give two shits).

The ache in his pants had returned, and it was currently throbbing underneath his zipper, keeping him from focusing on the three-page spreadsheet on his laptop screen. Noctis gulped and gave his windows another cursory glance, just to make sure no one would see what he was about to do.

"… _Aw, fuck it._ " Leaning back in his swivel chair as far as he could, his trembling hands made quick work of his belt, and the dull hum of the office was replaced with the zipper of his slacks coming down. His breath held in his throat as he unabashedly slipped his hand under, past the waistband of his black boxer briefs, and grasping hot flesh.

" _If I'm quick enough, I shouldn't need to close my blinds-_ "

He jumped out of his seat- hand flying out of his pants –as a loud beep echoed through his office.

"Mr. Caelum, I'll be sending you the invoices from yesterday now. Please reply to them as soon as possible." His secretary's husky voice was very much audible from the intercom.

Eyes wide in shock and his chest out of breath, he took a moment to recollect himself before responding with a despondent thank you. The young man could only let out a defeated sigh before zipping himself back up and checking out the invoices.

* * *

It was 7:16 pm.

He didn't think it was possible to have so many messages to reply to, but when you're the CEO of a megacorporation, that kind of stuff happens on a daily basis. Noctis was hoping to get back to his quickie, but he hadn't expected hours upon hours of responding to clients, plus the extra effort of having to sound enthusiastic about his job and his clients, even when his mind was obviously drifting down the gutter somewhere else.

Noctis ruffled his dark locks and huffed as he stared back at his laptop screen (not much progress on the spreadsheet had been done since that afternoon, give or take a few digits and values here and there). He was just about to press something on his keyboard when he just gave out a growl and slammed his laptop closed (not really; that had been a really nice gift, and he would gently rub the brushed metal of the machine and say sorry to it in a hushed tone).

The disgruntled, young businessman marched over to the break room, intending to brew himself another cup of super extra black coffee, something that could compliment his currently bitter mood and still keep him awake for at least two more hours.

It was much to his surprise when he found that the only other person inside the break room was his secretary herself, Ms. Farron. She was turned away from the doorway, standing in front of the counter and presumably stirring something (from the scent in the air, it smelled like jasmine tea), but that was the least of what was running through the sex-deprived man's mind at the moment.

Lightning halted her spoon-stirring at the sound of a soft click, like that of a door being locked, and before she could turn around, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist tightly, pressing her against a very warm body.

"Mr. Caelum…," she growled, maintaining her calm composure but her hands gripping his arms firmly seemed to say otherwise. Her rosy cheeks turned rosier by the second as she felt the stiffness in his pants cushioned against her backside.

"…Ah…I'm sorry, I'm just…I…I'm  _really horny_." He whispered, placing timid, yet feverish kisses along the back of her neck. Lightning let out a smaller growl and shivered, but her body arched against his, and further into his touch. "…P-Please."

After a moment's deliberation, as well as craning her head over to check that the blinds were shut, she whispered a "yes" to her boss. Without warning, she was flipped around and pressed against the countertop, as a pair of warm lips crushed themselves onto her own. Lightning let out a small "oomph", her eyes closing shut and hands grasping the front of his blazer. Noctis made no hesitation in letting his hands wander up and down the sides of her body, his fingers exploring her hips like a happy camper in the Sunleth Waterscape.

A low growl escaped her throat as he left her lips and pressed kisses down her jaw and her throat. The young man sucked on her collarbone, making the young woman gently whimper in response.

"N-Noctis…"

He separated from her for a moment, and their eyes met in the minuscule space that lay between them. His eyes were dark and filled with want, but shone with a glimmer of fresh charm that made her flush red and turn her gaze away, grunting in embarrassment. She let out a small yelp as he lifted her onto the countertop, but was silenced by another kiss, squeaking when he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

Noctis's hands lay on her hips, clutching the fabric of her skirt tightly before pushing them up to her waist. The secretary would not say anything, masking her intentions by winding her arms around his neck and doing the same with her legs around his waist. Moans would pass through their lips as Noctis grasped her backside, and at the same time, sticking his fingers underneath the waistband of her lacy, white panties. Flustered beyond belief, and still in shock at what was currently transpiring, she hugged his neck tightly and buried her face in his shoulder as he deftly pulled off the offending piece of flimsy lace.

A heated daze fell over the young CEO's face; here he was, sexing up his secretary in the break room, the possibility of getting caught rising exponentially by the moment, but he could care less.

"Ngh…!" The soft grunts left Lightning's lips as she clutched his shoulders tightly, feeling his fingers probe her entrance with no hesitation. The circling motion on her clit was suddenly intensified by the intrusion of his finger.

The sounds coming from her mouth made Noctis hard as diamonds and hot as the coffee pot at 7 in the morning. The wet heat surrounding his fingers made him pant like an animal in heat, and without warning, he pulled out his fingers and discarded his jacket, throwing it behind him haphazardly. His lips returned to her while his hands made quick work of his pants, unbuckling, unzipping, and finally pushing down his boxer briefs just enough for him to take out his throbbing erection and confidently hold it before her. Lightning mewled into his neck at the sensation of him rubbing his hot flesh on her core, and stifled a gasp when he plunged into her without warning.

"Oh Etro…I've been waiting for this…!" Noctis groaned against her lips, holding her by her legs and thrusting into her as if on autopilot. She could only moan in response, the sweat on her body starting to accumulate and making her blouse seem tighter than it already was. Both of them reveled in the mutually satisfying sensation of sexual intercourse: his hardness filling her nearly to the brim and hitting her sweet spot like a bull's-eye, and her walls constricting around him, wrapping him in delicious friction that made his body tremble.

"Oh Etro…! Noctis…!" Lightning threw her body back against the wall, gasping for air as he pounded her with abandon. Heat pooled into her stomach, and she felt like she was about to explode at any moment. Her fingers were digging into Noctis's shoulder blades with such strength that she could've ripped his shirt if she wanted, but his pain was only dulled, if not, enhanced by pleasure.

His pace quickened, and he was now being more audible than before, his voice threatening to carry past the walls of the break room. The pressure on his erection was incredible, and he was likely to burst within the next few minutes.

Their faces formed into a sweaty, reddened O-shape as climax reached them, their bodies trembling with pleasant aftershocks. Noctis grunted against the tight constrictions around his erection, and he spilled into her, making her blush with embarrassment.

"…And this…couldn't have waited for later, because…?" Lightning glared down at him playfully, brushing aside the hair stuck to his forehead.

"…Stop teasing. We're lucky we didn't get caught." He huffed shyly, burying his face into her neck.

"And whose fault might that be?" She gave him a gentle smile and pulled him in for a small kiss. He returned the kiss with enthusiasm before pulling away.

They quickly disconnected and redressed themselves, as well as clean up any of their "evidence". A few sheets of cleaning wipes and the counter should be…usable, at the least. It wasn't long before Lightning had her ponytail back in place and her blouse unwrinkled, and she now stood there, fixing up Noctis's suit.

"…I'm surprised you held out for this long. All you really needed to do was ask."

Noctis averted his gaze. "…You know my dad had a policy regarding inter-office relationships…the entire office would be on my ass if they found out my secretary was my girlfriend. They'd think I was biased towards you-". She silenced him with a soft kiss.

"Well, if that's the case…we'll have to keep this our little secret." Lightning gave him a little smirk, before turning away. "…I think I'll drop by later tonight. I have some...confidential files that you need to inspect."

The young CEO blinked and swallowed heavily as he watched his secretary walk out of the break room, her hips swaying ever so naturally. This job came with hardships and responsibilities, but the perks were definitely worth it.

 


	2. II. Full Moon

**II. Full Moon**

* * *

Innocent little children they had been when they were growing up, blissfully oblivious of whatever was happening all around them. Ten years old, eleven years old, they had no care for the world other than a handful of daisies and a shared platter of biscuits smothered in honey and citrus marmalade. They were kids with no concept of ambrosia, food of the gods, only treats that they gleefully fed each other with. Afternoons spent watching the sunset cross over the horizon, and cool summer nights passed with tracing the stars and making naïve promises under the full moon.

Alas, they were strangers to the concept of warfare, and she was torn from her young sweetheart because her mother said "he was no longer her friend". She didn't want to believe her parents, but when he didn't come back to the castle the next day, she was left to confine herself in her chambers. No amount of toys and gifts could ever replace him.

* * *

The young princess grew to be a refined young woman, well-versed in the language and lore of warfare, much like her father, but she carried the beauty and wisdom of her mother as well. The war had been at a standstill for quite some time now, but she now knew of the name of her family's enemies: the Caelums. Hailing from the kingdom of Lucis, they were ruthless, ambitious, and an extremely powerful enemy. Both kingdoms were at their odds, and after quite some time, both kingdoms had issued a mutual ceasefire, in hopes of alleviating both their problems and finally settling the war.

A grand banquet was held at the Pulse Vestige, a beautiful chateau at the edge of Bodhum's beaches. It was there that both royal families met in person, and it was there that the royal princess finally learned the secret of her childhood friend's departure.

Standing at the top of the elaborate marble staircase beside her sister, the king, and the queen, she held her posture elegantly, while looking forward at the guests pouring into the castle. Nobles from far and wide, people she had never met before, people she had no intention of meeting at all, and then finally the Caelums. The fanfare alerted her to the royal family strolling down the grand hallway, and it was then that she saw  _him_.

There was no mistaking it: the soft-looking unruly locks of black, those deep cobalt eyes, and what now looked to be a young man with a strong build, and a very handsome face. Their eyes met, and his look of surprise foretold a mutual understanding. As for him, he was stricken with awe at how much she had changed. From her young childish features, she was now a woman by all means of the word. Everything from her height, to her curves, to her slim face and commanding, piercing eyes, but he knew that under all of that was still the little girl from eight years ago that he picked roses with in the gardens.

* * *

The banquet carried into the evening, but despite that, the both of them were hindered from their fated meeting, unable to meet each other in the throngs of noblemen and women that blocked their way. A passing glance here and there, dancing swiftly through the crowd, the princess was ultimately defeated.

As she made her way to the balcony to spend the rest of the evening alone, she was met with a pleasant surprise. A silhouette against the brightness of the moon, the enigmatic figure turned, gracing her with his presence.

"…Hello."

"…It's been a while."

"Yeah. It has."

All their memories came rushing back to them, and it was difficult figuring out where to start. Eight years had separated them from each other, and there was only so much they could say before the night was over. Yet, they were rooted where they stood, just inches from each other. The prince let his eyes glaze over his princess, dressed in all her finery.

"Noctis…"

"…I missed you."

His arms fell around her waist, and their foreheads were pressed together; all they could see was each other's face bathed in pale moonlight. It didn't faze them that eight years had gone and passed without them ever seeing each other, but whatever was happening that moment felt just right, as if no time had passed at all. The princess's heart was pounding as she gazed at him, his cobalt eyes twinkling with happiness and emanating a sense of dissipating loneliness.

Those lips were just but a mere breath away.

The blast was terrifying, and the heat slapped them with a great force. Both the prince and princess turned to see a portion of the chateau combusting into magnificent flames, and before they could fathom the gravity of the situation, another explosion shook them both, sending them into a tumble. The screams were everywhere and they knew they needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

But where was Mother? Father? Both the prince and princess delved into the panicked crowd, trying to sift the chaos for sight of their respective parents. But even with their hands locked and their eyes connected to each other, they lost each other in the crowd, their fateful meeting having been cut short.

* * *

The banquet was a disaster. Both sides of the war had lost devastating amounts of people to the blasts, and the royal families were not exempt from this. The destruction ravaged both of the kingdom's sovereigns; Lucis had lost its queen in the aftermath. For Bodhum, only the heir apparent and her younger sister had survived.

No time was spent on mourning, for the kingdom of Lucis immediately reinstated its declaration of war. The princess, stuck between the loss of her parents and being forced into the throne far before her rightful coronation, grew stone-faced. She would now be waging war against the homeland of her beloved, something she wished she would never have to face.

* * *

Time was cruel to the queen. Three years of warfare destroyed her spirit, and left her a broken bird on the outside. She couldn't dare let anyone see her weakness, not in these tough times. The wounds of her past were still fresh, the deaths of the former king and queen a bloodstain on the proud flag of Bodhum. No matter how much she tried to fight it, she couldn't believe the idea that Noctis Lucis Caelum, the only man she'd ever loved, had possibly tried to get her killed that decisive night three years ago. That meeting was too surreal a memory for her to tarnish like that. She couldn't be possibly mistaken, right?

Still, she steeled herself, and become a fearless leader for her kingdom, a symbol of hope and peace among her kinsmen. They looked up to her with fervor, and she led them to war with a presence that rivalled the gods. Even under her hard façade, her closest acquaintances could see the crack in her mirror getting bigger by the day, like a nasty scar that keeps getting reopened.

The battlefield was her release, her pain slowly oozing out of her like the blood of her enemies as they fell upon her sword and shield. Princess Lightning was every bit the warrior that her father had been, and nothing else. Countless battles wouldn't wear her down, and whatever few scars that now adorned her body were only a reminder that she needed to be stronger for herself and for the greater good.

Such difficult endeavors were not confined to just the princess herself. The prince of Lucis himself was prone to violent fits, visibly grief-stricken over the death of his beloved mother. After all, she was the only other woman in his life that he ever cared about aside from the now-queen of Bodhum. His mother was a noble person who accepted her son's actions unconditionally, and was the only one who actively supported Noctis's old friendship with the former princess. The "Mother of Lucis" was gone from the world, and the mourning only fueled the fires of war between Lucis and Bodhum, but Noctis desperately refused to accept that she could try to pull something like that against him.

His uncontrollable rage led him to the arena, where his days and nights were spent furiously hacking away at straw mannequins with his heavy falchion. A strong, dangerous body created through anger was inevitably led to the frontlines, where he fought alongside his other able-bodied men, and Noctis became known as a human death scythe in the Lucis Imperial Army. He just wished that the day he would have to face the queen of Bodhum would never arrive.

* * *

Lightning tied her steed to a nearby tree branch as she stared up at the night sky past the leaves of the grove. The stars were bright that evening, only complimenting the serene light that the moon gave off. The sight of the full moon alone made the painful memories rush back, but she had learned to push it back, no matter how hard the urge was. She swallowed thickly, the taste of bile in the back of her throat almost making her gag. She was thankful to the gods that she had the luck of happening upon a spring at the base of a waterfall north of the capital, deep in the forests that stretched all the way past the border of Lucis. The queen informed her royal court that she would be gone for at least a few days on a survey of the surrounding countryside, and left her younger sister in charge; she had faith in her sister, for her wisdom stretched beyond her years. She would do a remarkable job leading the country in her minimal absence.

With the moon already high above her, Lightning decided it would be best to camp out for the night.

Sighing in relief, she shed her armor and her bodysuit, leaving her completely in the nude. There was nothing to worry as she only had nature as her company, and any prying eyes would be swiftly punished. Almost excitedly, she stepped into the cool water with soft steps, the shallow water reaching up to her waist at the deepest. The sounds of the waterfall splashing the surface of the pool calmed her nerves, and she quickly submerged herself under the rushing water, intending to wash away the day's impurities. Unbeknownst to her, the roar of the falls muted out her surroundings, including that of dead leaves crunching under a pair of boots.

Noctis grunted to himself, bracing himself against a tree as he trembled in slight pain. His exploration of the Lucis-Bodhum border eventually led him into a scuffle with a few enemy soldiers, from which he was forced to retreat. His inexperience with the area sent him tumbling down a sudden and steep hillside, the result of which was a gaggle of very sensitive, very small scratches on most of the visible skin on his body. He was filthy and finding a natural pool out in the middle of nowhere was a fortunate boon. He was about to sigh in relief but he noticed the horse tied to a tree by the edge of the pool, carrying the insignia of Bodhum. Huffing in frustration, he pulled out his falchion, hoping he hadn't just made a mistake that might cost him his life.

The prince winced with every step he took, cursing under his breath while he held his sword out in a defensive position. Cobalt eyes scanned the perimeter, but his jaw dropped as he spotted the owner of the white steed.

Lightning's eyes shot open at the sound of clanging metal, and she turned around to face the intruder, only to be met with a similar surprise. Her eyes did not deceive her; that was, indeed, the crown prince of Lucis standing at the pool's edge, his falchion sitting in the water a foot away from him.

"…Lightning, I-"

"Get out.  _Now!_ "

The surge of emotions that filled her was unbearable. She didn't know whether to cry, to scream, to turn away in embarrassment. There was no greater shame than to be found in such a compromising position by the enemy, by  _him_ , of all people that she could possibly run into.

"Lightning, please-"

"Noctis, if you wanted to kill me, at least  _honor_  me by fighting me on the battlefield, not ambushing me at my most…vulnerable…!," she gasped out, covering herself with her arms and letting her wet locks cover her face. She growled and wiped her face with one hand as hot tears started cascading down her red cheeks.

But he didn't leave. He had no reason to, whatsoever. All she heard was the sound of splashing, and then the tight feeling of his arms around her trembling body. Her hands immediately clutched the front of her tunic, holding onto them with such force that her knuckles turned white.

"…You're so stupid. I'm insulted that you would even say those things. I would never...do anything to harm you. Please believe me."

She blinked and looked up at him with confusion, then simply buried her face into his chest.

"…I don't want to hate you. I've never hated you. It's so hard for me to hate you, even if I don't know whether or not you were at fault for my parents' deaths. I never wanted it to be this way. I just…I miss you." She mumbled as her lips trembled fearfully.

"Shhh…I don't want you to think about that right now. I don't care if you're an enemy."

"But what if they…?" Lightning looked up at him, and he swore that it was as if they were children again. Their eyes were locked, clear, icy blue meeting a navy shade that rivalled the darkest night, and no words had to be spoken for them to understand what they were currently feeling.

* * *

The queen blushed under the gaze of her lover, her pale cheeks reddening in the moonlight, while he looped his arms around her body. Their bare bodies were pressed together in the water, and she was very much aware of what she was getting herself into. Without speaking a single word, she slicked back his drenched, black locks and let her fingers trace down the contours of his face, from his slim, yet angular jaw, to the thick cords of his neck, and straight down the firm muscles of his arms.

He leaned in and touched their noses gently, before pressing his lips firm on her. She gasped against the sudden motion, but responded positively, returning the kiss lovingly. The prince embraced his queen tighter, letting his actions speak for him. Without hesitation, he hefted her up into his arms and carried her out of the pool, like a man and his bride.

She was laid onto the cool grass of the grove, the moonlight accentuating the bare curves of her body. Lightning grew hot under his gaze, but there was no one else she'd give herself to. Noctis caressed her cheek before moving his hands down her body. He gulped nervously, his eyes spanning the length of her body with intense purpose. Her skin was smooth and cool, covered in fresh water droplets that he knew tasted of her. She had adequately round breasts that he found fit perfectly in his hands, and he tested the waters by peppering each one with light kisses, leaving her to moan under his touch and grip the grass blades a little bit too tightly. Noctis continued his exploration of her body, wanting to reacquaint himself with the person he's missed for too long. Light kisses pressed down her toned stomach, slim yet firm, like the rest of her body, all the way to the apex of her thighs. Lightning let out a soft mewl as he gently pressed his lips against her inner thighs, before resting them on her core.

"N-Noct…!" She panted breathlessly as the prince curiously pressed his tongue into her wet heat.

The taste was nothing terribly and everything he imagined it would be and he would eagerly pleasure his woman, taking advantage of all that she offered him. Noctis hummed pleasantly against her skin, suckling on her clit and probing his tongue along her folds. Lightning's eyes fluttered shut and she let out soft cries as she arched her back in ecstasy.

"P-Please, Noctis…!" The queen cried out, the heat in her stomach becoming too unbearable. She wanted to be rid of this feeling, this sensation that was far too pleasurable. She needed him.

The young man separated from her legs and pulled himself up, claiming her in a kiss, tongues clashing with want. They pulled away after what seemed like an eternity, and she could only face him with an air of euphoria. He had changed so much over the years, it was a surprise she had been able to recognize him. No more was the boyish face that had been her playmate when they were still children; he faced her now as a man. A slim, tall body firm with hard planes of muscle from years of training and battle not unlike her experiences. Sun-kissed skin littered with intricate, minuscule scars that drew her interest. Lastly, but not least, a handsome, youthful face adorned with a gaze that made her legs feel like gelatin. He was not the boy that chased her around the garden anymore; he was a powerful man that she would accept as her equal.

"…I wish to be your first. Your one and only."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

The pain that surged through her body was like no other. She immediately stifled a yell by biting down on her lip and held onto Noctis with shaking limbs. His face lit up with alarm, but she grunted and shook her head, intending to see their ritual to the end.

"Please…take me, Noctis…," the young queen gasped, gazing up at him with a demure expression that made his cheeks burn.

"Yes, my queen."

Waves of pleasure immediately overtook her pain, and his name escaped her lips as a moan. Noctis groaned contentedly as he thrust into her with passion. The grove was replete with the music of their lovemaking.

Their lips met in a flurry, stifling their moans while his hips moved in and out of her, her inner walls pulsing around him with urgency. Their bodies became hot and he couldn't keep himself from slowing down, only increasing his pace to meet the demand for climax. Lightning was throwing her back out repeatedly, screaming of her romance into the night sky.

Soon enough, they were both at their limits, skin hot and sticky with sweat and their bodies in perfect harmony. Lightning came with a broken cry, her inner walls constricting around him and coaxing him to finish. Noctis pressed deep into her and cried out, spilling his hot seed into her with no regret.

After a final thrust, the prince collapsed onto her out of fatigue, but was careful not to crush her under his weight. They lay there on the grass catching their breaths, before engaging in another kiss. He pulled her into the cradle of his arms, and she curled against him, her hands on his chest and their eyes locked. They stared at each other with an almost apologetic gaze, but he shook his head before she could say what he knew was on her mind.

"…I will come back for you, Lightning. When the moon is complete and high in the sky, meet me here."

The queen lowered her gaze sadly, but she knew not to let herself be driven to tears again. She knew they would never have a perfect relationship for as long as the war was on-going.

"…Promise me you'll be here. Every time."

"I promise."

Lightning turned her gaze back to him, and he responded with a smile that she had known for years. Without hesitation, she kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as if not wanting to let go.

"…I love you."

"I love you too."


	3. III. Hush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i'm still not entirely happy about this chapter (neither was i when i first posted this on ff.net) but i'm just posting it here for fucks' sake so enjoy anyway lmao

**III: Hush**

* * *

Graceful fingers swiftly darted across the surface of the table, staining the piece of paper under it with concentric circles. It was a map, frayed, yellowed out, and crinkled, of the city of Luxerion. The city was always a center of the religious faiths, a hub for cultures clashing here and there. And with it came the city's ancient history with the dark arts. The occult, supernatural, and the unknown; you name it. Not that it ever deterred tourists and pilgrims from visiting the grand city; it just gave them more reason to pray at night.

When things go bump in the night, and people go missing, obviously questions needed to be raised. That's where Lightning comes in. To protect the sanctity of the city from potential threats, as well as for her own personal reasons.

She didn't like reminiscing why she took up arms in the first place, but she knew she needed a reason to keep going when the going went too rough on her. Lightning placed her pen down for a moment and stared at the map in front of her, as if staring into a mirror. It was only six years ago, but she remembered every detail vividly, like it had only happened yesterday.

* * *

The streets were always empty at night; there had been no reason for anyone to be out late that night anyway. She and her parents were coming home from a movie and it had ended rather late. The road was very silent and Lightning could only wonder if it was even possible to be any quieter than that. Sitting in the backseat while her parents sat in front, she kept her eyes straight on the road ahead of them, only lit by the front headlights of the car. Nothing out of the ordinary, everything mundane.

It was then that something stumbled out from the darkness and stopped in front of the car, immediately knocked over on impact.

Her mother let out a yell and her father stepped on the brakes, the car skidding to a halt. Lightning gripped the leather of the backseats tightly, her eyes wide open and mouth slightly ajar.

"Lightning, stay in the car, okay?" "Don't move!"

In a panicked rush, her parents stepped out of the car and went out front to check what they had hit. Lightning bit her lip and looked behind her, trying to see if any other cars were coming down the same road. A piercing shriek filled the air and she turned around in a flash, her hair whipping behind her.

It was a blur of flesh and blood. Its teeth sank into her mother's neck and ripped her throat out, leaving her grasping her jaw in a futile attempt to save its life, but it only pulled away her bloody hands and dove in, drinking in everything that was gushing out. Lightning could only stare in awe as her father tried to pry away the thirsty monster, only to be slammed onto the car's hood and have the same treatment done to him. The glass was stained with bloodied handprints and Lightning was sure she had gone deaf after seventh scream in a row.

Suddenly, it was just silence in the air. She could hear her heartbeat clearly, and the cold sweat on her forehead wasn't making things better. Whatever it was out there was hungry. She carefully looked back up at the windshield, past all the red and at the monster standing out in the headlights.

It was a young boy, perhaps her age, maybe a little older. His eyes were red and bloodshot, and his face smothered with shiny crimson, framed by tousled black locks that stuck out in all directions. Whatever remnants of a shirt he had on was in tatters, and stained red along with his arms. But something felt off.

The boy was staring down at his bloodied hands with an expression that contradicted what just transpired. It almost seemed like his eyes were watering, and his lips were trembling. He looked up from his hands all of a sudden and their gazes locked. His gaze then transferred to the bloody carcasses pressed against the car, and he covered his mouth with his hands, before turning and scampering away into the darkness.

* * *

Life hadn't been the same ever since. She would never be able to explain the death of her parents to her sister, who had been at a sleepover at the time. The grief and trauma would be far too great for Lightning, who would then decide to move out from their hometown to somewhere else, preferably somewhere where she could break herself down and build herself up from the ashes. Luxerion was the perfect place.

Here, she finally made the decision to dedicate herself to eradicating the impure, after devoting herself to the study of the supernatural. Luxerion turned out to be the breeding ground for such things. With a heavy heart, she sent away her sister to study in Yusnaan, away from all the chaos that might befall her if she stayed. Lightning didn't know what she would do if she lost her sister as well. (From what she knew recently, her sister Serah found herself a young man, and that he had been treating her well. The man would have to meet her fists first before putting himself anywhere near her sister, but that's a story for another day.)

* * *

"…You've been staring at that map for five minutes now."

Lightning blinked, and instinctively whipped out her pistol, pointing it at whoever was behind her.

The dark figure let out a low growl as it took a step back. With a playful tone, it replied, "Watch where you point that thing. It's just me."

The woman looked up from her seat at the person standing behind her. His eyes were almost gold in the soft glow of the candle on her desk, his angular face being a warm orange color as well. With a sigh, Lightning placed the gun on her desk and stood up, before burying her face in chest out of frustration.

He blinked. "What's wrong…? Did I say something…," he asked, his voice hush in the darkness. Whatever jest he had in his tone had been drained from his face.

"…I want to hate you so bad. I want to kill you, but…but it's not your fault they died-"

"…I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have-". She only gripped his coat tighter, intending for him not to leave.

"No. Stay here, Noctis…please."

* * *

They sat on the edge of the bed in silence, their hands clasped together tightly. She was clammy under his touch, and he figured that the stress was getting to her.

"…How does it feel like?"

"…What do you mean?"

"You know…drinking."

"Lightning…"

"I know…I'm sorry."

Noctis turned his gaze away from her, his eyes staring straight into the darkness. "Do you sometimes feel as if you made a mistake with me? That you should've killed me the moment you found out who I was?" His hand grasped her tighter, his thumb rubbing circles on her knuckles.

"Honestly…sometimes I do. But that's why I keep asking you these questions. To remind myself that there's nothing wrong, and that wasn't your fault. That I shouldn't be mad at you forever, even if…even if you did…"

* * *

Noctis was a vampire; a bloodthirsty creature born out of a ritual only told through the forbidden arts. Five years ago, he was kidnapped from his family and held captive for who knows how long, left to starve and to be brutalized on a daily basis. The process left him weak and easy to be manipulated, and he could no longer fight back as his captors performed their deed on him. The memory was too much of a blur, but all he remembered was that past victims either did not survive the "transformation" or were immediately killed upon completion because something went wrong.

The memory halted there, as if a puzzle piece was carved out of his brain, and immediately restarted once again, when he stood in front of Lightning's car, his body bloodied and his surroundings littered with the carcasses with what he assumed were her parents. He was hungry that night. The transformation was complete.

The events that transpired that night forever haunted him, and he wished to make amends, even if it wouldn't reverse what he had done. But above all, he wanted to kill the person who turned him into a monster, and destroyed his life. It was years later that he would find out Lightning was now in Luxerion, working as a vigilante and keeping the city safe from the likes of things like him. He wanted to speak with her, get her to help track down whoever was responsible with his change.

They became lovers, but Noctis knew that this would only make it harder for him to confess to her. She stumbled upon him by accident, finding him draining a gazelle on the outskirts of the city. The huntress was quick to turn on him, and the despaired look in his eyes gave his true identity to her.

He would disappear for a month, leaving her in a state of confusion and shock, before he returned to her home, wanting to talk things out.

* * *

"Lightning…do you love me?" He clasped her hand tightly as he looked down at her, her face illuminated by the glow of the candles.

Sensing his anxiety, she gazed up at him and caressed his cheek with gentle fingers. It was the same face as that night five years ago, as well as that night when she found out his secret. But she finally knew what that expression meant; it was regret, sorrow, despair. Not only was she the victim in this vicious cycle, but he as well. He lost his life and became a murderer out of necessity, something he can no longer control. Lightning could feel pain emanating from him in waves.

"…Yeah. Yeah, I do."

She let go of his hand and reached up to him, pulling him into a kiss. He responded almost instantly, pressing his lips against her and letting his arms wrap around her waist. The vampire pulled her onto his lap, where she pulled away from him reluctantly. Her hands gently settled on his shoulders as their eyes remained connected. Lightning flushed red and batted her eyelashes, craning her neck and turning her head away from him. The man's amber eyes widened, and Lightning saw them turning red. He was hungry.

"Lightning, don't do this to me."

"…I-I trust you." There was a quiver in her voice, like a creaky rope bridge across a ravine. She was crossing into dangerous territory.

"I-I can't do this, what if I lose control?!"

"I know that you won't. You're better than that." She growled at him in frustration.

There was no protest for a moment. Yet suddenly, she felt his hot breath on the skin of her neck. She shuddered, and her fingers gripped his coat out of instinct. Her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest right there, but she didn't want to show fear. She wanted to believe that he was not a threat to her, that he wasn't going to kill her.

Her breath hitched in her throat at the sensation of his sharp incisors grazing her skin, but that didn't prepare her for the sinking of his teeth into her flesh. The sudden intrusion made Lightning gasp, and her fingers dug tightly into his shoulders out of fear. A sound of confusion left her lips as he placed his lips on her wound, eagerly sucking the blood that dribbled out of her.

After the initial prick of his teeth, the sensation became somewhat…euphoric. She found herself latching onto him for support as her limbs went limp from the waves of pleasant vibes surging through her body. Her skin was littered with goose bumps as he drank of her blood, soft hums denoting contentedness drifting from his lips.

He pulled away with a pant, red staining his lips and his chin as he stared at her from behind lidded eyes. Lightning faced him again, her cheeks red with embarrassment and shock. So many thoughts and emotions were rushing through her mind at the moment; she couldn't tell if she was more surprised that the feeding made her body writhe in wonderful ways, or that she had managed to survive an actual feeding.

He panted heavily as sweat collected on his brow and Lightning pressed their foreheads together.

"…I love you."

"I love you too."

Noctis leaned up and claimed her lips, closing the distance between them. His arms wrapped around her waist even tighter and pressed her close against him. Her eyes fluttered closed and her fingers tangled in his soft, dark locks, responding well to the kiss. He pulled away from her all of a sudden, and she felt a rush of air pass by her as he flipped her over and pressed her onto her bed. Before she could get a hold of her surroundings, he already resumed their kiss, and by now she was starting to taste her blood on his lips. She was not sure whether to feel a sense of terror or thrill, as she was sure she was about to make love with a very deadly being.

No, she wouldn't think of him like that. He wasn't a demon or a monster; he was Noctis, and he loved her, as she loved him.

His tongue dove into her mouth unabashedly, and she let out a surprised gasp at the intrusion. The vampire settled between her legs as they instinctively wrapped around her waist, and he pressed his hips down, letting his arousal be known.

He separated from her touch and pulled off his coat, throwing it behind him without caution. Lightning leaned up and connected their lips, while her fingers untucked his shirt from his pants and pulled it off his body. The vampire's bare torso was warm and covered in a sheer layer of sweat that made his firm muscle glow under the ambient light of the candles. She wasn't used to seeing him in a feral state, and she was aching with curiosity.

Her reverie was cut short by the crashing of their mouths, and his hands shamelessly traveled up her body. Noctis hummed against her lips as he slid his hands up her thighs and tugged her miniskirt off, tossing it in the same direction as his coat. His fingers trembled and they fumbled along the buttons of her blouse, before she pushed him aside and unbuttoned them herself. With a shrug of the shirt off her shoulders, she pulled him back down for a kiss, letting him trap her with his body.

Soft grunts replaced the dead silence of the bedroom as his fingers plunged in and out of her. He watched her body arch off the bed sheets as he manipulated her core skillfully; it was as if she was the puppet and he was handling her strings. The walls surrounding his fingers were tight, warm, and unbelievably slick. The sensations send shivers down his body, and his arousal twitched with want.

* * *

"Ahn…! N-Noctis!," she gasped out, her voice oozing with a self-control that was slowly draining away. Her face glistened with sweat, and molded into something that expressed ecstasy. Noctis watched her without shame, as her bare chest heaved up and down and her hips voluntarily pressed themselves into his hand. It would only be a moment more before her hands grip the sheets with a force that makes her knuckles turn white, and finally she releases, spilling onto his fingers and crying out into the night.

Lightning lay languidly against her sheets, panting heavily and left in a disoriented state. It wouldn't be long before she feels him spreading her thighs once more and then something hard rubbing against her heat. She doesn't protest and only groans as he fills her.

Noctis gasps at the feeling; it's hot, tight, and he feels her pulsing around his erection, constricting around him in a way that was by no means painful. He drops himself and edges closer to her, closing his eyes and breathing heavily against her neck, as he holds her by her hips and starts thrusting.

Within seconds, Lightning is back to screaming, arching her body against his and meeting his movements with abandon. The room became hot and their sweaty bodies moved in unison, keeping a steady rhythm without stopping. Noctis grunted into her ear, pounding her hips with so much force that both of them were almost lightheaded. Her core clenches tightly, and he knows that he almost is at his limits.

His pace accelerates and he stifles his moans by kissing her again, as he presses himself deep into her, filling her with his essence. Lightning only groans against his lips and digs her nails into his back as she receives his release.

He let himself fall onto her, pulling her into his arms and engaging her in a warm embrace. Lightning presses herself against his warm body, and immediately falls asleep, too entranced with euphoria and exhaustion.

The vampire strokes her messy locks gently and gives the top of her head a gentle peck. "…I would never hurt you. Not for as long as I am here." Carefully, he sits up and blows out the candles on her bedside table, then returns to her side, immediately joining her in the land of slumber.


	4. IV. Bloom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...now THIS is one of my favorite chapters because it's so fluffy and cute and i've always had a small penchant for writing rom-coms and shit like that
> 
> (also, kudos if you've figured out what my chapters have been named after; if you haven't, you still got some ways to go)

**IV: Bloom**

* * *

Friends were there for you. They were nice, and they were there for you. They offered helpful advice and had your back in times of trouble. Now; what's the difference between a friend and a  _best_  friend? Easy. Friends would hold you back in a fight so you wouldn't get in trouble.

Best friends would let you go all-out and cheer you on while you're tearing your enemies to shreds.

For Lightning, Noctis was that person, more or less. She could still see the moment he barged in into her classroom back in 4th grade, being introduced as a new student in the middle of the school year. He had been the son of a wealthy CEO and his beautiful wife, and the other kids in class were absolutely jealous that he had such a wonderful packed lunch with him. Lightning was always a tough cookie, and even back then she was pretty much a boy in a little girl's body. So when Noctis was eating his lunch that day on the swing, the first thing she did was kick him and watch him faceplant into the ground, then demand that he give her his lunch.

Despite a few scratches on his face, he only laughed and stood back up.

" _I like you_ ," he said. " _Of course I'll share my lunch with you_." Little Lightning would be forever taken aback by this, and she spent the rest of the lunch period flushed pink while he shoved apple slices into her mouth.

Noctis stuck around, of course. From past elementary school and way into middle school, where the puberty hit everyone hard and you had boys snickering about condoms and girls freaking out over their impending menstrual cycles. Lightning was starting to even out, trying to cover as much of her body as possible with all sorts of heavy sweaters. She wasn't ever the type to be proud of her body, as shapely as it was becoming.

Her best friend on the other hand, was another story. Whatever height they shared back in elementary school was obsolete; he was starting to tower over her, and by the end of the 7th grade he was 5'9" and well taller than a lot of the other kids (and likely still growing). But while other boys became acne-riddled and awkward, Noctis remained as baby-faced as ever, even if his body was starting to smell a little bit sweatier every day.

Not that it even deterred the girls from coming around; they came, and in droves. Being the best friend of such a handsome boy could make you furious, especially when vicious rumors made their rounds around the school. As if anyone would even touch Lightning though; her reputation of being a rabble-rouser carried into her middle school years, and anyone who tried getting in her way would immediately be driven off by one of her signature glares.

The same couldn't be said about Noctis, however. The poor boy was basically a trouble magnet everywhere he went, and despite his reassurances that he could handle himself, she was secretly always concerned that she might not be there to help him one day.

It surprised her when she found out Noctis had self-defense training (being the son of a rich business magnate does that to you), and to a somewhat…effective level, too, perhaps. Yeah, he was able to fend off three other boys coming at him all at once, but that still doesn't stop him from getting a bruised eye and a cut lip. The pink-haired girl almost gave him another punch when he they sat in the park that afternoon, him smiling at her behind the injuries like nothing was absolutely wrong. But alas, she decided she would let the stinging of the alcohol speak for her. (" _Ow! Be careful with that…!_ " " _You're telling ME to be careful…?!_ " " _I'm sorry, I'm sorry…! It just stings a lot…_ ")

It was the dawn of high school that truly spelled out a challenge for their budding friendship. The both of them had now started to focus on the big things that mattered, the stuff that would help build their future beyond the walls of their campus. This meant more time stuffing their faces into textbooks, and less time stuffing their faces with popcorn. Adding onto that, Lightning joined track and field, channeling her fury into speed and letting her body the rest. Noctis, on the other hand, joined the football team, only bolstering his unrivalled popularity even more with an added pinch of testosterone.

All their packed schedules made it harder for either of them to spend time together, but both of them tried their hardest to make amends. Unfortunately for Lightning, this meant extravagancy as defined by Noctis. And by extravagant, he really meant extravagant.

This typically fell along the lines of getting ridiculous presents on her birthday, from giant, singing teddy bears, to fancy dinners in a restaurant in the next city over. And this all ended with Lightning burying her face in her hands in sheer terror, and a grinning Noctis getting the wind knocked out of him.

High school also brought an even bigger challenge to the both of them: their love lives.

Being in track had done wonderful things to Lightning's self-esteem. She now had confidence in her body, and was less inclined to wearing baggy clothes, even in the middle of summer. (She now also had reason to wear some of the clothes her sister and her mother bought for her, at least, the ones that weren't entirely covered in frills and flowers.) Noctis would tease her for being so attractive when she started to invest in form-fitting jeans and tank tops, and she easily pulled off the combat boots look that made her such a wrecking ball at school.

The guys started to line up around the block for Lightning, which made her embarrassed, and strangely enough, made Noctis more cautious and somewhat…defensive, she believed. Lightning was confused that he of all people would be so protective of her when it came to other guys, even though she assured him, time after time, that she would never go out with any of the losers at school (and that she probably wouldn't be dating anyone any time soon).

The same couldn't be said about black-haired youth, however. He met a girl named Stella over the summer, right before the beginning of their senior year, and without a doubt, they were hand-in-hand by the start of the school year. Lightning thought nothing of it at first. " _Just a fling or whatever, right? I think that's what they're called_ ," she often thought to herself, and she would carry on with her life as usual. Then it really started to hit her when their plans were getting cut short, him claiming that he had his own plans with Stella. It didn't faze her at first, but after repeatedly getting left behind…maybe she was second-best now. It didn't help that she saw them together at school for about 89% of the time, either holding hands or exchanging sickeningly saccharine messages that made her want to gag.

She couldn't really blame him though; he was…a really great guy, after all. Friendly, smart, kind…handsome, she had to admit (her cheeks burned of the times she came to watch him at football practice, darting around the grass in nothing but his athletic pants; the muscle training required for the sport did such a number on Noctis). Stella on the other hand was great as well, if she had to be brutally honest. Such a sweet girl, with perfect teeth, and perfect hair, and just…perfect everything that Lightning almost thought she was a doll come to life. She was nothing compared to her.

(" _…Are you…are you jealous?!_ " " _What the hell?! What makes you think I'm jealous…?!_ " " _I guess I really am that good-looking, huh?_ " " _S-Shut up…!_ ")

* * *

It was her 18th birthday today. Your typical Saturday evening, and Lightning was home alone, not that that was ever a problem. The mailman dropped off a package that morning, addressed to none other than her brother, Cloud (it was a t-shirt that said "big brother knows best" in rainbow-colored, bubble letters…as well as a shiny silver watch; she'll have to give him a beatdown when he comes to visit again, one for the stupid t-shirt, and another for the expensive watch). Her sister Serah was currently at a weekend retreat for one of the school's biggest extracurricular clubs. Lightning remembered how fondly she told her about the activities they were going to do, and kept apologizing that she would have to miss her birthday because the weekend getaway coincided with it. Still, her saint of a sister was diligent enough to leave her a lengthy text that morning that detailed how much she was sorry and how she would totally make it up to her when she came back. The same went for their parents, currently on a two-week business trip in Yusnaan. Lightning had never been to Yusnaan before; maybe she would go there with her own parents one day.

The only person out of the loop was Noctis, surprisingly. She had been expecting something all day, and even though she hated his gifts with a passion, she had been secretly anticipating them, after years of getting such a treatment from her best friend.

Best friend. The words sounded hollow to her for some reason. Here she was, sitting in front of her couch and wrapped in a blanket, watching horror movies out of pure boredom at 11 o'clock at night, and she had been waiting all day long for him. Not even a single call or text or anything.  _He's probably out with…her again_ , she thought, as she hugged her knees and rested her chin on them. Her light blue eyes glazed over the HDTV with malcontent, blinking uninterestedly as she watched a woman climb the stairs of a dark house.  _This idiot is just asking for it, I swear!_ , she told herself, scowling as she figured the predictable ending of the woman's actions. I mean, you  _never_  go upstairs in a horror movie,  _especially_  after the lights go out. That's just how it is.

The sound of heavy rain battering her windows and the overall silence of her house did little to stimulate the supposedly frightening atmosphere, and even then, she could be more scared of a tiny spider crawling up her leg.

It was perhaps twenty minutes or so later- she wasn't paying attention to the movie at this point –that a loud and quick succession of knocks were at her door. Lightning jumped from her seat for the first time that night and turned her attention to the front door. Now who could possibly even be here at this hour…?

Sliding off her couch and wrapping her blanket around her like a cape, she grabbed the nearest blunt object she could find (it was a fireplace poker) and stalked over to the front door. Carefully, she poked an eye through the peephole and tried to see who it was that was trying to disturb her at that hour.

"…?!"

Immediately, Lightning set down the iron poker and unlocked the door, swinging it open.

In the doorway stood Noctis, completely drenched with the rain and currently shaking from the cold. His hair was flat against his head, strands stuck to his face, and he was only wearing a jacket with a thin t-shirt under, currently stuck to his skin in a less-than-appropriate way.

"…You gonna let me in, or are you still mad at me?" He stuttered out, giving her a sheepish grin.

Lightning only scoffed and rolled her eyes, pulling him inside and locking the door behind here.

"Stay right there, or I will kick your ass if you get any water on the carpet."

"Okay, birthday girl. Whatever you wish."

She gave him a glare as she walked off, and he responded with a cheeky grin that made her cheeks burn. Lightning would return minutes later, finding him shirtless in the middle of her living room and already unbuttoning his pants. With a furious blush, she growled and threw a towel at him.

"Take it somewhere else, pervert," she scolded as she handed him some of her older brother's clothes, averting her gaze as he scurried off to the bathroom, snickering like a little kid.

She resumed her position on the couch, covered in the blanket with crossed arms.  _Stupid Noctis showing at stupid times on my stupid birthday, that stupid idiot…_  He emerged minutes later, towel slung on his neck and fully clothed once more.

"Do you really think your brother's going to be fine with me using his clothes? I mean, he  _is_  your brother." Lightning gave him a glance; she had picked out a blank tank top and some dark blue, plaid lounge pants, both of which looked surprisingly at home with him. He gave her a shrug and a sheepish look, the look of "remorse" only enhanced by his handsome face and his damp, messy locks.

Lightning only glared at him and returned her attention to the television, burying herself further in the sheets and into the couch cushions. Noctis sighed and settled himself beside her, snuggling close to her like a domesticated animal.

"…Okay, okay, I'm sorry, alright? I was out all day and I forgot it was your birthday, so I bought three tubs of ice cream and a bottle of apple cider, but my car ran out of gas four streets down, so I had to run in the rain and…well, here I aaaaa _aahchoo!_ " The young man sneezed loudly and rubbed his nose apologetically.

The birthday girl simply huffed and made room in the blanket, throwing half of it over Noctis's shoulder.

"So this is your big surprise? You forget about my birthday, don't even bother to call or send me a text, then show up at almost midnight and end up getting germs and rainwater on my carpet. Gee, thanks. You're such an idiot." She crossed her arms and turned her eyes away from him, and she could hear him let out an exasperated sigh. Not that it mattered; she was going to drag this out for as long as she could.

"I'm really sorry, okay? I was out helping Stella with a film project, but it dragging on for so long and I just needed to talk to her because there were some things I needed to get off my chest."

"Like what? How much you love her?" Lightning's tone with laced with jealousy, and she would sooner kick him out if he was going to start talking about his girlfriend in front of her like this.

But there was only silence. After a moment, Lightning's eyes started to wander, and she turned to face him.

"Well? What's wrong?"

Noctis sat there, twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip, as if insecure of what to say. She could only blink, and her expression turned from that of discontent to that of concern.

"Well…I broke up with her."

Her jaw dropped and she sat there dumbstruck for a moment before she recollected herself.

"N-Noctis, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Noctis only shook his head and gave her a shy smile. "No, it's okay. It's for the best. It was only a matter of time before I decided that I should stop lying to myself."

A look of confusion painted itself across Lightning's face, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "…But why? What are you talking about? Stella is so beautiful though, and she's so smart and kind- why did you break up with her?" Lightning was so perplexed; why did he break up with her? Was she really mean and vicious after all? Did she have a terrible habit of biting her nails? Maybe she was cheating on Noctis, because she was, she would be ready to plant a crater on her perfect face-

"Now, don't get any ideas about her, okay? It wasn't her…it was me." Noctis chuckled at the last sentence, and Lightning grimaced at him.

" _Okay_ …then what were you talking about when you said you weren't going to lie to yourself anymore…?"

"You might wanna sit tight for this one. It's going to be a bumpy ride, I guarantee you." He replied, turning to her and taking her hands in his. Lightning only shot him a weird look, but otherwise kept quiet.

"…When I first met Stella, I thought she was so perfect and amazing and flawless; she was the girl for me. She made me happy, and I did the same to her. I thought I was going to get away with whatever stunt I just pulled, but that wasn't the case. I didn't want to lead her on any longer, so I broke it off with her. I guess…I just hooked up with her because it's easier than having to accept that the girl I like might not like me back."

Her eyes were wide with surprise, and with an unsteady voice, she asked him, "…A-And who is the girl…?"

He rolled his eyes in a playful manner and leaned in close to her face, enough to make her let out a small gasp, turn red. "…As if you weren't dense enough, it's the girl who kicked me off the swing set eight years ago."

Her bright blue eyes grew as wide as plates at the sudden realization while her face turned the shade of a tomato's skin. Her eyebrows narrowed and she glared at him with the tenacity of an erupting volcano, so much that she wasn't sure whether she was about to cry or start yelling at him.

" _Is this some kind of sick joke?! Is this your big surprise this year?! Am I supposed to start laughing now?! You're such a stupid idiot, I ha-_  mmph!"

Noctis ignored her tirade and simply moved in, crushing their lips together.

Her teary eyes flew open, but after a moment she shut them again, only leaning into his touch and letting her hand caress his cheek.

She would never imagine she'd be sitting here, angered beyond comprehension and lonely and somewhat hungry, and now making out with her best friend on her couch in the middle of a very…empty house. But she didn't care; this was way too overdue, and knew she was lying to herself as well if she didn't accept that she had been head over heels for Noctis for a  _very_  long time now.

It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally pulled away, instead rubbing their noses together. She felt his slightly labored, warm breath on her lips, and her cheeks flared with shyness.

"…Happy birthday, Light."

"…You're such an idiot."

He only smiled at her again, and she responded with a choked variant of a laugh, rubbing her eyes with a slender finger. Timidly, she scooted closer to him, curling up against his chest with uncertainty.

"…H-How long have you…?"

"…Middle school, I guess. You haven't pushed me away, so…I assume the feeling is mutual."

She huffed and buried her face into his chest, nodding in agreement only seconds later. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. After a short, few moments of silence, he tilted her chin up with a finger and pressed his lips on her once more. She responded with slight hesitance that he measured with the way she clutched his tank top, before her hands traveled up to his hair and tangled themselves in there.

They fell backwards onto the couch cushions, with Noctis lying on top of her. As if on autopilot, her legs slid up his thighs and settled on his waist, and her cheeks burned as she realized what compromising position they were currently in.

He sensed her nervousness and pulled away for a moment, breathing slightly heavier after having kissed her for longer.

"…Do you want to stop? Am I going too fast…?"

"…N-No. It's okay. I…I'm not scared." She huffed and kept herself steady, even though she was really still reeling from everything that had been happening all of a sudden.

He chuckled at her attempt to look strong and gave her a sweet peck on the lips. "You're so cute when you try to be all tough and mean."

"If you want to…get lucky tonight, I'd suggest you shut your ass up." Lightning blushed and glared in another direction.

Noctis only laughed and pecked at her cheek, then brought their lips together again. Lightning hummed pleasantly at the sensation, and she embraced him tightly, as if intending to make him stay forever.

Of all the people in the world she had to fall for, it had to be him. Her handsome, kind, smart, funny, idiotic best friend, and as of now, boyfriend, she assumed.

She suddenly pulled away with a slight gasp, a look of embarrassment adorning her cheeks.

"What's wrong…?" Noctis stared at her with concern, and she only looked in between in them, at the noticeable bulge jutting out from the front of his pants.

"You're…um…yeah." Lightning covered her face in pure terror; she'd never been like this with a guy before, and the fact that it was Noctis as well only made things worse.

The young man blinked and looked at himself, before turning red and chuckling sheepishly. "Ah…sorry, I, uh…that happens, when, um...a guy and a girl-"

"I-I know what sex is, Noctis. D-Don't be an idiot…!" She retorted sourly, groaning as she covered her face.

He let out a light-hearted laugh and pulled away her hands so that he could press their foreheads together.

"Should we take this somewhere else more…comfortable?," he whispered, cupping her warm cheeks in his hands. Her lip quivered as she failed to make a sound, and only nodded in response.

Noctis pressed their lips together once more, and she latched onto him firmly, as he lifted her off the seat and stood from the couch, carrying her off to the stairs without bothering to turn off the HDTV behind them, which was currently playing a scene of the same woman getting chased around by whatever supernatural thing she angered.

The football player carried her up the stairs and led her to her bedroom, where he deftly stepped inside and closed the door behind them. With a graceful expertise that most men usually don't have, he gently laid her out on her bed, the only light in the room being that of a moogle nightlight in the corner near her desk, its fluffy body letting off a soft yellow glow.

Noctis couldn't help but laugh at the little thing, which led to Lightning groaning and crossing her arms.

"Go ahead, laugh. Yes, it's a moogle nightlight. Now shut up."

"Sorry, babe." He snickered again, before planting a few kisses from her shoulder to her neck.

Lightning let out a gasp as he peppered feathery kisses along her neck and her collarbone, her body heating up in response to his warm lips touching her skin. Her hands clutched his bare shoulders as he gave an experimental suckle on her collarbone.

She laid back and watched him with half-lidded eyes as he pulled off Cloud's tank top and tossed it behind him, exposing his torso once more. The four years of high school football had paid off, and he had a muscular build unlike most guys. The soft glow of her nightlight gave his stomach muscles an enticing depth, and Lightning almost squeaked out of embarrassment.

"I'm guessing you like what you see, huh?"

Lightning glared at him and averted her gaze, turning her nose up in a snooty fashion. "…You're not unattractive. That's all I have to say."

"I could say the same about you. Actually, I could say a lot more…"

She watched him with baited breath as he trailed his hands down her sides in a slow, tantalizing manner, so slow that she could almost punch him for teasing her like that. His warm hands stopped at the hem of her red tank top, slipping inside and settling on her waist, but going no further.

"May I…?" He whispered, after leaning in to give her a kiss. Lightning nodded demurely and closed her eyes tight as he pulled off her tank top.

"…W-Wait. You don't wear a bra?!"

Her eyes flew open and she immediately sat up and slapped him, before covering her chest.

"It's a girl thing, okay?! I-I'm sorry, but don't stare so much…!" She blushed furiously as she held herself.

Noctis rubbed his cheek with a light groan, before placing his arms on her shoulders.

"Don't hide yourself from me. I know you're beautiful under there."

"…Hmph."

With a little coaxing, he got her to relax once more, and she lay back on the bed sheets, opening her body up to him. A grunt escaped her lips when he suddenly cupped her breasts. Noctis played with them experimentally, his thumbs rubbing over her nipples in a concentric, circular motion, and she hissed with pleasure when they stiffened under his warm touch. Lightning yelped when he pressed his lips to her breasts, kissing up the swell of her chest before lapping at her nipple in a curious manner. Her hands tangled in his locks as she unconsciously pressed him closer to her chest.

"I-I…Noctis…!"

Meanwhile, his fingers trailed down her stomach, ghosting over her skin with such a gentleness that made her shiver. They stopped at the waistband of her athletic shorts, before suddenly sliding underneath. Lightning's lips formed a hollow "O" as he rubbed her core, tracing her folds with his fingers. He gauged her reaction, his breath heavy and a layer of sweat accumulating on his forehead. As she let out another gasp, he crushed their lips together and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She gasped against the sudden action, arching her body off the bed when he nudged her clit with his thumb. Lightning started to whimper against him, her fingers gripping tightly onto his hair as he started to push a finger into her.

Her head was reeling with pleasure, and she knew she'd probably get into so much trouble if anyone found out what she was doing. Or would the circumstances be different because he was her best friend? Her best friend, pinning her in her bed and currently fondling her in ways that would make a stripper blush. Lightning's chest heaved as he plunged his fingers in and out of her heat, the slender digits twisting her in her wetness.

Deciding to let her rest for a moment, he pulled his fingers out of her and slid off her shorts and her panties, also tossing them where her tank top landed. Lightning turned her head limply and watched him as he pulled off his pants, revealing an interesting looking pair of boxer shorts. They were striped navy blue and white, with a cartoon chocobo pattern running down the white lines.

Lightning only panted and covered her face with a hand, groaning to herself.

"Oh Etro, could you get any more embarrassing, Noctis…?" She mumbled, shaking her head.

Noctis only smirked and crawled on top of her, tilting her chin up and kissing her deeply. "Well, you're going to have to deal with it, then."

"…I'd rather you just take them off before I start laughing." Lightning replied, caressing his cheek with a soft hand.

He leaned into her touch and kissed her hand, before leaning back into a kneeling position. "Sure, princess."

With little difficulty, he pulled off the ridiculous garment and was finally left bare. Lightning stared at him with timid eyes, fully aware of his manhood between his legs.

"I…uh…um…yeah." Noctis stuttered shyly, scratching his head sheepishly. Carefully, he crawled back down to her and kissed her. "I'll be gentle, I promise. Should we use…"

"I-It's fine. I'm not on my monthly."

"O-Okay."

She latched her hands onto him once more as he spread her legs and placed himself at her entrance, his hefty arousal pressing warmly onto her core. Lightning's face burned with adrenaline; she couldn't believe that she was now about to lose her virginity to her best friend, a sentence she never knew would ever even come up in this life of her's. She gave Noctis a nod, and he crushed their lips together again as he started to press himself into her.

The pain she derived from getting filled by his large…whatever was almost excruciating, but she likened it to the burn of a good run out on the track. Her heart pumped and she let out a choked gasp. He pulled away from her for a moment, looking at her with an expression of concern that she only rebuffed.

"…Don't stop. I…I want to see this through with you."

"Alright."

The burning sensation of him pulling out made her cry out, and her walls constricted around his pulsing erection in a way that made him pant like an animal. He pushed back into her, his hands gripping her hips tightly, and she moaned out his name like a mantra.

"N-Noctis…please…!"

Those words set him into overdrive, he started a rhythmic motion with his hips, pushing and pulling nonstop. Her back arched up off the sheets and she threw her head back in pleasure as he continued his labored movements. Her room became sweaty and hot and resonated with nothing but the sounds of pure lovemaking.

She whimpered and mewled as he thrust into her with fervor, the sweat running down his body with every movement. Their bodies grew hot with intensity, and Lightning felt the fire in her belly grow bigger by the second. Noctis cried out into the air, panting heavily as he gripped her thighs and pounded her hips with no shame. He wanted to make that moment count, their first time, as true lovers.

"L-Lightning, I-I'm going to…!"

"P-Please, Noctis…!"

She pulled him down to her and captured him in a kiss, her hands desperately anchoring themselves onto his back. He responded with tenacity, their lips moving messily as he quickened his pace; he was going to burst soon.

Lightning's cries were stifled by his lips as her fingernails drew red marks up his shoulder blades, knuckles white and tense. Noctis was gripping her hips so hard that they left handprints, a symbol of their connection. She clenched tightly around his erection, finally coaxing him to release. Lightning let out an exhausted gasp at the sensation of his warmth filling her and collapsed onto her sheets, chest rising and falling with labored breaths. Noctis carefully let himself fall onto her, taking her into his arms and holding her tightly.

"Oh Etro…Lightning…I…"

"I can't believe it…Noctis…this doesn't seem real yet…"

"I know…it's like a dream…"

Lightning turned her head and faced him, gazing at him with a dreamy look. "…Please…tell me you'll be here in the morning…"

The young man only closed the distance between them with a kiss. In a hushed tone, he responded, "…I will always be here." He pressed their lips together again, and Lightning languidly threw her arms around him, pulling him closer.

"I…I love you, Lightning."

"…I love you too, Noctis."

* * *

It had been about a month since Cloud came home from college to come visit his family back home. He knew that his birthday package for Lightning had already been sent, and he was dying to find out what she thought of his present. He was also curious to see what had become of his family as of recently. Needless to say, he would be surprised to see what really went on the previous night.

He stepped into the house, intending to be greeted with smiles and cheering galore, only to nearly stumble on a pair of shoes- shoes that were way too big to be Lightning's. Cloud narrowed his eyes at the offending footwear and closed the door behind him, before noticing a set of wet footprints leading to the downstairs bathroom.

His eyes widened when he entered the small room, noticing the soaked pile of clothes on the ground. Carefully, he lifted a pair of jeans from the floor; again, way too big to be Lightning's.

 _Did she have a boy over last night?!_ , he thought frantically, and he scampered up the stairs and ran to her little sister's bedroom.

The darkness of the bedroom was a little jarring at first, and he at first noticed one of his tank tops on the carpet, followed by his pants, then one of her tank tops. Cloud's face contorted in confusion, and he followed the trail of clothing further into the room, until he finally reached Lightning's bed.

" _What in the fuc-"_


	5. V. 24/7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we've finally reached the namesake of this story huzzah
> 
> I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter because it was my first real experience writing a detailed fight scene with graphic violence and shit like that

**V: 24 Hours**

* * *

Welcome to the city of Yusnaan, self-proclaimed "entertainment capital of the world". And with good reason too, as Noctis walked through the streets, deftly avoiding the gyrating throngs of partygoers. A city of sin and relentless revelry, everybody was dressed to the nines and ready to throw the night away into the stars. Even Noctis himself was dressed appropriately;  _dressed to kill_.

Dodging his way out of the crowd, the sharply dressed young man briskly made his way up the steps of  _Bhunivelze's Palace_. The colossal hotel and resort was one of the many brightly-lit citadels that lined the sunset strip of Yusnaan. The music blared through the hot air and the lights soared straight up into the night sky, but Noctis kept his cool, letting out a breath as he stepped through the glass doors.

Without halt, he walked through the cool hallways, the flashing colors of the gambling machines reflecting on his stoic face. The casino was particularly full tonight- not that it had never been full, it always was –but tonight's congestion would make it slightly difficult to locate his target. He wasn't here to gamble after all; the sounds of bells and electronic popping noises would do little, if at all, to entice him.

Ignoring the intrigued stares of a few intoxicated young women, he pulled back a sharpened cuff and checked his watch: 11:34PM. By party standards, this was just the beginning of the celebrations, when the alcohol was still being passed around and everyone still had their bearings about them. For Noctis, however, this meant he likely had less than thirty minutes, an hour at most, to find his target before they'd wandered off from intense intoxication. Intel told him he was just a silly, spineless idiot who had struck it rich after his help with a security breach back at headquarters, and was now blowing all his money at Yusnaan.

The massive security breach had occurred only about a few months ago, in which the profiles two high-ranking agents from rival agencies were sent to each other. Now, he's on a goose chase for whoever might have started this inter-profession war, as well as watch out for the rival agent. Not that he hasn't been, but when he was briefed in Ignis's office of who the secondary target was, his pulse had begun racing faster than a prize horse.

Female, early twenties, average height, slim, toned build. Rose-colored hair, electric blue eyes, smooth yet sharp features that made a supermodel look basic in comparison. Just…incredibly beautiful.

Lightning Farron. Another agent like him, and just as capable of death as well.

Noctis growled inwardly. There was no mistaking it; it was her alright. Noctis had been running into her for about a year prior to the security breach, back when it was reported that the Bodhum Secret Service was deploying an agent in their area. That fact had puzzled Noctis, as well as everyone back at headquarters. Agents from different companies working together in the same area were usually unheard of, because of security and privacy protocols.

But turns out that wasn't the case. Shortly after he had heard of this, he began meeting her during contracted missions and not on coincidence either. Noctis had only himself to blame when he cornered her several times, only to let his manhood speak for him and act on his urges. Even as a rival agent, she was usually coaxed along, but not well enough that he ever went all the way. Usually he'd wake up tied to his bed, half-dressed, and with all his money and technology gone, as well as anything valuable he may have been carrying. The woman was great at what she did, and Noctis could no longer how many times he'd been reprimanded for letting his libido do all the talking.

* * *

Noctis situated himself at the bar, leaning back on the polished hardwood counter as he surveyed the area with piercing eyes. Drowning out the heavy electronic noise flooding his ears, he thought back to what they told him before left.

" _Our sources say she is currently staying at the Bhunivelze's Palace. I don't know what she's doing there, or why she's staying there, but it seems suspicious considering the circumstances of the target. She likely expects you to be there as well, and will likely do the same to you as you will to her: termination. Don't screw this up, Caelum."_

As he raised his glass to his lips and sipped his drink, his cobalt eyes continued to scan the room. Over hundreds of socialites in the same, all having the time of their lives, dressed to impress and hopefully to be undressed later on. Yet none of them were  _her_. He even wondered for a moment what he would do when he finally saw her again. Would he try to end it quickly? Or would he let himself be taken by her again…? Whatever happened, he was not one to leave things unfinished.

Noctis set his glass down on the counter when he noticed a pink-haired woman in a sleek black dress, settled all the way on the other side of the room.

* * *

Lightning idly dabbed her bottom lip with her thumb as she stared blankly in front of her, trapped deep in her thoughts. One of the people behind the security breach would be somewhere in this building, and it was her job to secure any valuables that he might have on him.  _Well, he's a total technical geek so he likely has a flashdrive or some USB thing on him…_ , she thought, rolling her eyes and shooting a venomous glare at a couple of drunken bachelors that passed by.

She wasn't one to dress for the boys to come chasing, but if she were asked to don such an outfit, like tonight, she'd make sure she looked like she belonged in the upper echelons of society.  _I'd much rather look like a rich bitch than a trashy drunken college girl on Spring Break…_

Just as she was going to pick up her skirt and get a move on, a pair of warm hands encircled her hips, keeping her planted on the ground.

Her pulse quickened as a pair of warm lips met the shell of her ear, kissing it ever so lightly and whispering to her, "… _Long time no see_."

 _It's him…!_  Noctis Caelum, a high-ranking agent of the LSS- Lucis Secret Service –was right here, and she was in his arms.

She and Noctis had clashed several times in the past year. Well, clash wasn't the appropriate word. If there was any appropriate word for him pinning her against a wall and kissing her until she was out of breath and her cheeks were redder than tomatoes. He was…near irresistible, what with his tall, broad physique, those angular features, and that masculine aura of his… Noctis Caelum was handsome, charming…and still a rival agent. She never did have any time to play around with him, and she often left before it progressed any further from the kissing and touching.

If she hadn't been ordered to terminate him, Lightning wondered if…she might have pursued something deeper with him. The idea didn't seem repulsive, and she was into him as much as he was into her. The idea alone made her skin burn.

But alas, she knew he was here on ulterior motives, something that they both currently had in common. Nonetheless, she'll play it cool for now.

"Coincidence that I should run into you here, of all places."

"I could say the same thing. What are you doing here?"

Lightning looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "So a girl can't have fun?"

Noctis only gave her a look and leaned into her, until their breaths were mingling. "Why not have fun with me then?"

The rose-haired agent looked up at him and caressed his cheek softly. "I'd love to…but I've got an errand to run. I'll see you later." With a discreet peck of the corner of his lips, she turned on her heel and picked up her dress, heading in the opposite direction.

He could only focus on the sway of her hips in that sleek black dress, before running the tip of his tongue along his upper lip.

"…I guess this means I should probably get a move on."

* * *

"I saw that, Noct. Are you trying to compromise the mission, man?!"

"No, now shut the fuck up, you're making me look suspicious." Noctis hissed under his breath; Prompto was currently yelling through his earpiece.

"I know she's hot man, but either one of you might die tonight, and even then you still need to retrieve that hard drive."

"I know, I know," he growled, adjusting his cuffs as he briskly walked across the shiny floor tiles. It was now midnight and the party had yet to dissipate. In fact, it seemed the amount of people on the floor was doubling by the minute. The private rooms shouldn't be too far off from where he was, he thought to himself as he dodged a server carrying a tray of martinis.

As soon as Noctis ducked into the grand hallway at the far end of the room, the music had started to dissipate into silence, which was befitting of the finely decorated sector he now found himself in. The walls gilded in gold and the ceiling littered with rows upon rows of crystal chandeliers, he was sure he had stumbled upon the VIP section. His reflection taunted him as he walked past the giant mirrors hung on the walls, giving the already spacious hall the feeling of infinite space. Noctis would be lying if he said it didn't bother him somewhat. Thankfully the floor was completely covered in finely made carpeting; else he'd been hearing his footsteps echo inside the spacious room. Or worse, someone else would.

As he checked his watch and fixed himself up in one of the giant mirrors, out of the corner of his eye he saw the flourish of something black as it rounded the corner and disappeared into another hallway. It fluttered like a flimsy coat or a skirt…or a…

His eyes flew open and he turned around, quickly making his way over the corner and drawing his pistol from his pocket. It had to be Lightning, it must be. Noctis poked his head out of the corner, looking into the smaller passageway. It was a more intimate setting than earlier, with soft lighting and velvet red wallpaper. He could already faintly hear the sounds of what sounded like heavy dance music pulsing through the walls.

Noctis let out a huff. He wasn't about to let that woman take his mission from him again, no matter how much of a distraction she was. With a cursory glance behind him, he stalked ahead, keeping his gun at his side just in case.

* * *

The private room reeked of alcohol and sweat, a far cry from everything else he'd seen so far at  _Bhunivelze's Palace_. The dim lighting, neon bulbs here and there, and objects strewn haphazardly across the room made the place seem less like a designated conference room and more like a whore house.

"This is…" Noctis gulped in contempt at his surroundings, carefully stepping over whatever the hell was littered on the carpet. "Seems like this guy is having the time of his life…"

He lifted a hand to his nose, blocking the raw odor of whatever was in there, as the deep bass continued to pulse through the walls. His cobalt eyes widened as he rounded the corner into the main room. The bodies of women and men lay limp all over the place, hanging over the edges of couches, leaning against the wall with dead eyes. Noctis shuffled over to a scantily clad woman on the side, her eyes bloodshot and her skin clammy and pale. With gentle fingers, the agent tried to feel for a pulse on her neck, but to no avail. Biting his lip in frustration, he looked back at the others; they were likely dead as well.

Judging from the smell in the air and the temperature of the body he just attended to, these people have been dead for at least an hour already. Noctis could only imagine what even happened to his target, if he was dead like them, or if he was the cause for all of this.

With a cock of his gun, he held it tightly in front of him. Even if everyone was already dead, Lightning still hadn't come out of the room; she was in there somewhere.

Cautiously heading down the hallway led him further into the private conference room, and he quickly ducked into the restroom, sticking the gun right in front of him with the tenacity of a born-bred predator. The heat inside the conference room had started getting to him, and his forehead was starting to slick with a layer of cool sweat.

His reflection faced him in the wall of mirrors, and Noctis briefly took a moment to wipe his forehead with his sleeve. And in the wall of mirrors where he saw himself did he also see the pool of blood collecting under one of the stalls. His eyebrows raised and he rushed over to the end stall, and the revolting sight was enough to make him gag.

The target he had been assigned was there alright, his head seemingly having been smashed several times into the solid porcelain toilet, staining it and the water with a deep red. Adding insult to injury was a barrage of bullet wounds.

Noctis's blood boiled. This mission had been a total farce, and it wasn't even because of his own faults this time. There was something more difficult at work here, and Noctis was about ready to put a few holes in it. He hadn't even noticed how tight his fists were coiled, the knuckles having gone white.

" _Shit!_ " He blurted out, kicking the stall open. As the sound echoed through the empty restroom, he glanced back up at the wall of mirrors, immediately spotting the rose-haired agent standing in the empty doorway. With only a blink, he turned and let loose a bullet in her direction, and she narrowly dodged it, the bullet hitting the plastered wall right behind where her head would've been.

Cursing under his breath, he made a break for it, powering his legs forward as hard as he could.

* * *

Lightning skipped around the corner, slamming the door shut behind her, only to trip as her train got caught in the doorframe. With no time to play princess, she brandished a knife from her thigh holster and split the dress cleanly in half, sending her stumbling forward into a sprint. The door flew open behind her, and while she didn't bother to look back, the sounds of gunshots meant that he was right on her tracks.

Lightning jumped into the nearest elevator possible, brandishing a semi-automatic and raining down a few shells back at Noctis while the elevator doors closed. The male spy could only grunt and hide behind the corner, evading the shell spray at the cost of losing her to the elevator.

 _Goddammit! Why! Why?!_  Biting back an angered scream, Noctis left the confines of the hallway, coming back out into the grand hallway. Thankfully, no one seemed to have seen or heard the commotion, but the area was likely to fill up with security in the next ten minutes, and it would be best to clear the scene as soon as possible. His cobalt eyes narrowed down, he contemplated his options; waiting for the elevator was going to be a bigger waste of time than what he was already doing, and there was no point in letting her go when there was nothing else left to do about his failed mission. He'd had no choice but to take the stairwell.

Huffing in sheer frustration, he raced to the end of the grand hallway and busted open the stairwell doors, where he started to climb up the flights of stairs in the fastest way possible.

Lightning took a moment to recollect herself in the elevator, leaning back against the cool, brushed metal walls. That was too much of a close call, and she could kick herself for not being up to speed as usual. One wrong move and she might have suffered the same fate as her target did inside that bathroom. Her bright blue eyes glazed over the counter situated on top of the doors.  _10…11…12…_  With a sigh of relief, she let herself doze off for just a moment, her eyes fluttering closed.

Her eyes flew open with a jolt, as the elevator was brought to a screeching halt. The force made her collapse forward, and she hit the ground with a thud right as the lights turned off and the emergency bulbs kicked in. The elevator was suddenly bathed in an ominous red glow, and Lightning grunted as she stood herself up, leaning against the cold walls for support.

"Great, just  _great_ ," she whispered to herself, looking around her for some sort of way out. Of course the elevator had to break down. It didn't seem bad enough that her mission had been compromised and that someone was out for her blood, but the elevator didn't want to cooperate now either. Moving over to the button panel, she pressed the emergency lock button, and immediately the elevator doors slid open. Much to her chagrin, she was met with solid wall and only a minuscule amount of space where the top of the elevator doors had met the doors of what should be the fifteenth floor.

"Guess I'll have to do this the hard way." Gritted teeth aside, Lightning jumped and latched onto the opening, gripping hard and using her strength to heave herself into the tiny space allotted. Thankfully, it was wide enough for her to fit, and that she herself wasn't too big for the hole. Cheeks puffed and red with anger, she finally pushed herself out. With a heaving sigh, she stretched across the carpeted floor, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"…I have to keep moving…!" A grunt pushed its way out of her lips as she pushed herself onto her feet, glad that she knew how to manage in heels and that she even survived this long while wearing them. But before she could even make a single step, a bullet flew past her ear, shattering a potted plant at the end of the hall.  _Shit!_ , she muttered, her eyes widening as she realized she left her gun inside the elevator.

As swift as her namesake, she unsheathed her knife and whipped around, throwing the sharp weapon at Noctis.

The man could only dodge out of the way as the knife hit his pistol and sent it flying- straight through the doors of the stairwell. Noctis could only let out an exasperated gasp as the clanging of the gun against the metal stairs echoed through the door. Grinding his teeth together, the spy turned back to his rival, who had already left the scene. With a huff leaving his lips, Noctis raced along; losing her again was not an option.

* * *

Lightning sped down the hallway; her room was supposed to be somewhere on this floor. It shouldn't be too far, but the way these near-identical halls seem to be stretching on forever made it hard to locate her destination. It seemed like forever before she finally reached her room, her keycard gripped a little too tightly in her hand. Her head was throbbing from all of this suspense, and she knew it would be difficult fending off Noctis.

The rose-haired agent threw open the door and ran inside, and right when she went to slam the door shut, an arm shot through the open space, quickly followed by a shoulder, and soon enough, Noctis's furious face.

" _Not this time, Farron!_ " He growled, and Lightning was powerless as he rammed his way into the room. With an animalistic noise drifting from her throat, she reached for the nearest object- a lamp –and once yanked out of its socket, smashed across his face.

Noctis let out a yelp as she stood there smirking to herself, recoiling for just a moment, but that wasn't enough to deter him. He returned her gaze, heavy breathing and blood trickling, grabbing the lamp and shoving it across her chest, slamming her into a dresser. Lightning grunted at the shock of the drawer's edge jabbing her in the back, before spitting into his eye and knocking their heads together.

The male agent let out an "argh", staggering back from the impact before briskly getting kicked in the stomach. With the wind sucked right out of him, Lightning stepped forward and took the opportunity to land a steeled elbow to the face. The constant barrage kept Noctis winded for just a little longer, and Lightning finally decided to end it, grasping a handful of hair with each hand and propelling him into a nicely decorated mahogany table, which almost instantly collapsed under Noctis's weight.

Adrenaline pulsing through her veins, her chest heaving from the spent energy, Lightning turned away from him, walking in the direction of the bedroom, where her spare firearms were kept. Little did she notice the rival agent slowly getting to his feet, shrugging off his suit jacket and rolling his neck with a satisfying crack.

"…You little bitch."

Lightning's eyes flew open, and she let out a yelp as she was immediately tackled to the floor by the bigger agent. His hand fisted in her hair, Noctis grunted with content as he relentlessly slammed her head into the floor. An anguished shriek erupted from her, and an elbow flew out, jabbing him squarely in the cheekbone. As Noctis roared from the needles of pain spreading through his face, Lightning crawled out from under him, struggling to get up off the floor.

"Oh no, you're not…!"

His chest swelled pride when he snarled at her, standing himself up and giving her a heavy kick to the side. The resulting groan of pain made him smirk, and he stood above her, wiping the blood running down his chin from his lip.

Suddenly, a fist came up from underneath, making direct contact with his nether regions. Noctis's breath hitched in his throat, and he crumpled to the ground with a groan that made Lightning giggle.

"Who's the little bitch now…?," she murmured, pulling herself up and grinning down at him.

The agent staggered over to her bedroom, scrambling for her weapons cache. The already unlocked titanium briefcase sat on a finely furnished table, right in front of a giant vanity mirror, which reflected her disastrous appearance. Lightning only gave her matted self a glare, and immediately after, saw Noctis charging straight at her. Her fatigue being unfortunately uncooperative, the bigger man slammed her into the mirror, shattering the giant reflection and garnering a scream from Lightning.

"Asshole!" The word shot out of her mouth as she tackled him onto the ground and delivered a flurry of punches to his face, each one accompanied by a slur of colorful language.

Noctis only shoved her aside, her back hitting the legs of the table and knocking it over, along with the briefcase and its contents. Both agents rolled out of the way, seeing the firearms flying overhead. Their eyes flashed with motive, and they both dove for the weapons.

In record time, they both scampered onto their feet, handguns pointed at each other's heads.

"Noctis."

"Lightning."

Their faces were painted into grimaces, glaring each other down as if they were competitors in an old western. It seemed as though neither would be backing down now, as futile a situation it may have been.

"What now, Caelum? Aren't you going to shoot?"

"I can say the same thing."

In the silence of the now desiccated and dilapidated suite, only the sounds of their labored breathing echoed. It was there that both rivals let their eyes wander, studying each other for less of a combat purpose, and more of a…personal motive.

Noctis couldn't keep his eyes from traveling down her body, from her flushed face, all sweaty and hot with energy, to the swell of her breasts, threatening to spill out of the impossibly low neckline of her sleek black dress (which hugged her body in a way that made her natural curves look even more prominent). Then down to the ripped hem of her dress, now even more scant as it unveiled the long, creamy expanse of her legs. His blood was pumping in his ears, as well as somewhere even lower than his heart.

Lightning examined him closely, staring him down like a predator to its prey. She took note of the dark glimmer of his cobalt eyes, still shining so brightly in the dim of the hotel suite, as well as the trickle of blood running down his chin and staining his prominent collarbone, visible now that his shirt had come undone in all the action. His sweat-slicked dress shirt stuck to his skin, faintly outlining the contours of his muscular torso.

Her breath quickened and she raised another hand to her gun, trying to steady her trembling hold, but it was futile. Noctis grunted to himself in defeat and rolled his eyes, throwing away his weapon. He then pushed aside her own gun and pulled her hips flush against his.

"I'm not letting you go," he murmured, before crushing his lips on her. The sudden contact shocked her momentarily, but she melted against him, letting her handgun slip from her fingers and instead hooking them in his hair. A gasp escaped her as his hands grasped her backside, pushing her hips even tighter against his. Lightning couldn't keep a moan under wraps when she felt his erection through the front of his pants.

She grunted against his lips, murmuring curses in frustration. "This…shirt…off…now."

Noctis only smirked, returning her kiss and making quick work of the shirt, shrugging the material off of his shoulders. Lightning bit her lip in anticipation as her hands splayed all over his torso, reveling in his intense warmth.

"My turn."

Before Lightning could have a chance to comprehend what he meant, his hands had already latched themselves on her back, deftly locating the zipper and basically tearing the remains of the dress in half. The tattered black fabric slipped off of her body, and Lightning huffed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, hiding her breasts from his eyes by pressing them into his chest.

With a snarl, he hoisted her up, coiling her legs around his waist tightly, making sure the heat between both of them didn't disappear.

Lightning let out a little squeak as she was unceremoniously tossed onto the bed, her body sinking into the layers of soft sheets. Her face burned as Noctis towered above her, watching her like a hawk. The sight of him left her breathless, and she gazed with half-lidded eyes. A guttural noise emitted from his chest, before he swooped down to take her lips again, shoving his tongue in between and tasting her. In the midst of all the kissing, she didn't notice the hand traveling down her body, and her moan was muffled by his lips as he pressed his fingers against her clothed core.

She couldn't keep herself from whimpering under his touch, her hips rising to meet the fingers pressed on her aching core. " _Dammit, Noctis!_ " Lightning growled and shot daggers at him, hoping he would take the hint and do something before she decided she would want to kill him again.

With a smug look on his face, the cobalt-haired agent leaning in and smashed their lips together once more, tongues clashing and probing as he finally slipping his hand past the waistband of her lacy panties. Her moans were muffled by the force of his lips as he wasted no time in letting his fingers acquaint themselves with her heat.

"…Gods, you're so  _wet_ ," he breathed, planting open-mouthed kisses on her skin. She resisted the urge to cry out in pleasure, instead anchoring her fingers on his back, the finely manicured nails leaving streaks of red across his shoulder blades.

"N-Noctis…ah…!," Lightning hissed, his fingers twisting and pushing and pulling inside her wet heat. The feeling was unbearably great, and Lightning thought she might puncture a hole in his shoulders from how hard she was holding onto him.

But he wouldn't be done with her just yet. His lips left her and ghosted down her skin, sucking softly on the skin of her neck and peppering feverish kisses on her collarbone. Lightning's heavy breathing filled the air, and she shuddered as he took one of her breasts into his mouth, swiftly followed by the other.

The onslaught of his hot mouth continued lower; the growls that drifted off of her lips made him snicker when he kissed around her navel in a teasing motion. As soon as he came to the apex of her thighs, however, he wasted no time in sticking his thumbs under her waistband and sliding the flimsy garment off of her legs. Noctis unabashedly spread her slender legs apart, gazing down at Lightning with wanton as he placed soft kisses down the creamy expanse of her thigh. Lightning choked out a gasp when his lips finally touched down on her heat, her eyes fluttering shut from the sensation.

"E-Etro…"

The sinfully tactile tongue of his made her angry; it was too much, she felt like she wanted to run something over with a steamroller ten times over. Noctis was savage, devouring her core like a starving beast, and when she sat up to look down at him, it was the same look in his eyes- that of a deprived animal. The last in his eyes was undeniable, and Lightning bit down on her hand in frustration. Her other hand, on the contrary, buried itself in his tousled locks, the tightness of her grip making the man between her legs grunt with slight pain.

"You…asshole…get over here…"

Lightning wasn't sure what surprised her more: the fact that he complied with her demand and immediately rose up to meet her, or the fact that as soon as he did, she threw her arms around him and pulled him down for a kiss. She moaned against his lips as he pressed his body closer to her, the slick movement of their skin only burning them up even more. Noctis let out a hungered growl and grabbed her wrist, taking her hand and pressing it against the front of his pants.

She stared up at him with a dazed look and felt him through the sleek fabric, reveling at how hard he'd gotten. He only returned the look and captured her lips again, before his hands went to work on removing his pants.

His belt slid out with ease, followed by the quick unzipping of his slacks, and he was then left in his form-fitted boxer briefs, his raging erection very much visible through the front. Noctis groaned against her lips when she pulled them down and took him gently by his cock, pulling him forward until he was placed right on top of her entrance. His cock twitched at the sight of her biting her lip, feeling his hardness propped up on her dripping folds.

"N-Noctis…!" The male agent diverted his attention back to her, to the look painted on her face. It was like agony and pleasure mixed together; specifically, a look that spelled out "murder" if he didn't take her right then and there. Returning her sinful gaze, he took her lips one more time. His hips positioned in between her legs and his hefty erection pulsing on her core, it took him one swift motion to fully press himself inside her.

Lightning's scream was muffled by Noctis, with his lips still pressed against her and his tongue mingling with her's. Her head flew back against the sheets, bruised lips wide open as Noctis moved above her, working their hips over and over like a habit. Noctis hissed with pleasure as he relentlessly pushed in and out, relishing in the incredible heat of her core. The tight, pulsing constriction around his cock almost made his eyes roll back, and his chest heaved from his heavy breathing.

"Oh Gods, Lightning…!" His voice came out like a drawl, tired and husky, sending shivers down Lightning's skin.

As he continued to pump his hips in and out of her, he unabashedly let his eyes wander over her open body, back arched against the sheets and her head thrown to the side. The way she bit down on her lip to keep from screaming, the way her glistening breasts rose with the inflation and deflation of her chest, the way her hair fanned out like a halo, framing her rosy cheeks. Noctis gulped, and his erection twitched inside her.

Lightning let out a choked gasp as he moved inside her; she felt so lewd, thinking about how big he felt inside her, filling her up until she couldn't take it anymore. She gazed up at him, staring him down. Those dark, cobalt eyes, filled with so much want and need that she couldn't deny. His messy locks, damp and stuck to his forehead, making him look even more animalistic. And that dangerous body of his, planes of muscle that moved with every action he took, enhanced only by the sheen of sweat that covered his warm skin.

Noctis sucked in a breath, and he quickened his pace, seeking release. Lightning's core burned with a pleasing ache, and she knew she would burst soon. The suite exploded in an ecstatic chorus as they rocked together to completion. She would cry out and spill herself at the sensation of him, his hot seed filling her to the point of excess.

He fell into her arms, his own tired limbs coming to wrap around her body in possessive embrace. They trembled together in the remnants of their lovemaking, and it wouldn't be long before their fatigue consumed them. They drifted off to sleep, having no regard for anything else in the world at that moment.

* * *

It was about mid-morning when Noctis finally woke up. As soft as his bed was, his body ached with a surreal pain that he could only trace to one of his more intense workouts. And then it hit him. The target. The mission. The fight.

The agent.

Ignoring the dull pain in his muscles, he turned to his side, immediately noting that the space beside him was empty. After rubbing his eyes, he surveyed the room slowly. The damage that was done to the suite was incredible, and it looked a lot worse in the daylight than it had last night when he and the agent were…tumbling around.

He chuckled inwardly at the thought and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. It was then that his eyes wandered over to the balcony, where a familiar looking woman was leaning over the railing. Her rose-colored hair blew gently in the breeze, as did that familiar white dress shirt, loosely draped over her body and barely covering her backside.

Noctis blinked a few times, before his brain finally commanded him to rise from the bed.

He tugged on his underwear and didn't bother to button his pants, instead carefully navigating through the debris on the ground and stepping out onto the balcony.

Lightning froze at the feeling of those familiar arms wrapping around her smaller frame, the warmth enveloping her in a sensation different from that of last night. It wasn't aggressive and powerful, instead comforting and welcoming. Her cheeks burned with the memory as she let herself melt into him.

"…You didn't leave this time."

"Did you want me to?"

"Well, we're still…enemies, technically. You could be dead by now," Noctis joked. His laughter was light, making Lightning roll her eyes playfully. "So why didn't you leave…?"

The female agent leaned back into his embrace, before turning to face him. With a gentle hand, she caressed his cheek and answered his question. "…Because I'm not afraid of you. Of…what we have."

"You trust me? A rival spy? Someone who tried to murder you?" He raised a teasing eyebrow at her, and she only mimicked the look.

"You didn't kill me. I suppose…I could give you a try." Her tone was engaging, and the look in her eyes definitely said she was there to stay.

Hugging her even closer, Noctis leaned down, until their breaths were mingling. "…Y'know, they probably won't be needing me back at headquarters just yet. Give it an hour, two tops. How about we…acquaint ourselves a little more? A little something for the road, until the next time we run into each other again at some place in the middle of nowhere."

The hand settled at her waist traveled down to her backside, and she sucked in a breath as he pressed her hips into his. Lightning bit her lip in anticipation, feeling his growing erection pressed against her belly.

"…I'll humor you once more, I guess. And we need not run into each other in the middle of nowhere if you just asked for my number," she replied, snaking her way out of his embrace and striding in the direction of the bed, hips swaying ever so smoothly. "I hope you're man enough to manage that."

His eyes glazed over once again with lust, and with only a growl leaving his lips, he followed her back to the bed, like a predator stalking its prey.


	6. VI. Sweater Weather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, this one is a little shorter than the previous chapters bc i wrote this over winter break and obviously it's not winter break anymore and it wouldn't make sense for me to be writing winter-based content when it's fucking 80+ degrees outside pardon my french

**VI: Sweater Weather**

* * *

The Lucis winters could be unforgiving. Even for a city situated only midway north of the upper hemisphere, they were still subject to some of the craziest winters – only by city folk standards, anywho. It still baffled Noctis how his girlfriend managed to survive the Lucis winter so far, especially being born and raised down south in moderately sunny Bodhum.

He always knew his girlfriend was a tough cookie, tougher than most, but surely no person in the right mind would be parading around in the middle of their living room in nothing less than a sweater and sweatpants. Oh, how wrong he was.

The apartment he was renting was filled with just the right amount of accommodations, nothing too basic yet nothing too extravagant, but the young man just couldn't shake the idea that his electric bill might be skyrocketing through the roof now that they've started using the heater. Not too much, quite sparsely, and so little that Noctis always reminded Lightning to wear a sweater around the house, much to her chagrin. (She never really liked wearing heavy clothing for too long, anyway.)

It shouldn't have been a surprise when he unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside, the first thing he laid his eyes on being that of his girlfriend, Lightning, sprawled across the couch lazily with the television remote in her hand. While his cheeks were already pink from being out in the snow just a while ago, Noctis was quickly burning a shade of red at the sight of her.

She'd been clad in one of his sweaters, an adorably tacky dark blue sweater with an image of Carbuncle embroidered onto the front, long enough to end just before her mid-thigh, which then resumed in a pair of long, red-and-white striped socks that went past her knees. Even if she appeared to be 'bundled up', seeing her slender legs in long socks and the rest of her in a sweater that left little to the imagination…it did things to a man.

After a moment, Lightning noticed that he hadn't even budged from his spot at the far end of the living room and proceeded to prop herself up on her elbows.

"What's wrong?" The pink-haired woman raised her eyebrow in intrigue.

"…I thought I told you to bundle up," Noctis sputtered, waddling across the faded carpet and situating himself on the other side of the couch.

"I  _did_ bundle up."

He gave her a once over and narrowed his eyes. "You call  _that_  bundled-up?"

"Oh, hush; you're not my mom. Besides, you already know how much I hate being constricted." His eyes never left her form as she sat up from her idle position, and grew in size as she stretched out her arms to the ceiling. His sweater that she was wearing lifted from her hips, revealing a cute pair of candy apple red panties. Noctis gulped inwardly.

 _Is she even wearing…?_  He shook his head and rubbed his eyes quickly, pushing the thought out of his head. His body was betraying him, however. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the warmth radiating off of his skin, and in the back of his mind he could already feel the beginnings of an erection in his pants. Lightning cracked open an eye and looked at him weirdly.

"Are you sure you're alright? You're being weird," she stated bluntly, scooting closer to him and looping a sleeved arm around his own.

He chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head. "So much for bundling up, you idiot. You're gonna catch a cold wearing just that."

"Have I ever caught a cold in your house?"

"No-"

"Then discussion is finished. I wear what I want, and you don't say jack shit about it." Lightning smirked as he feigned a shocked expression and tapped the tip of his nose with the pad of her finger. "You on the other hand, look like you're about to get a fever."

Noctis blinked and stared at her. Was he still red in the face? Was he that warm?

"I-I'm fine. Really." Lightning couldn't help but scoff lightly as she noticed his eyes darting about her figure.

"Really."

"Yes.  _Really_."

"Noctis Lucis Caelum, I know exactly when something you want is on your mind."

"W-What are you talking about?" A laugh almost came out of her lips when his voice suddenly rose a few octaves.

"Does this…do it for you?" She fanned her lashes at him, almost teasingly, indicating her current attire. Now that she had his attention, he couldn't keep himself from surveying her from top to bottom, the way she looked tiny inside  _his_  sweater, but yet it was just short enough to leave an ample strip of pale skin at the top of her thighs. The rest of her legs were still sheathed in those red-and-white thigh-high socks, reminiscent of candy canes…

"…Oh Etro, Lightning, curse you and your damned body." It wasn't even a second after those words left his lips that he pulled her in for a kiss, pressing his body flush against her. She mewled against his lips, feeling the heat radiating off of him, as well as something stiff pressing against her thigh. They pulled away after a while, cheeks burning and smiles abound.

"…You're so helpless, you horny bastard."

* * *

Not long after, Noctis was laying against the couch, engaged in heated liplock with the woman situated between his legs. Their hot breaths mixed momentarily in between kisses, and a moan drifted from his lips as she pressed a palm daringly on the seat of his pants.

"Mmm…Light…," he drawled, pulling her in by the back of her neck to resume their kissing. Lightning let her fingers slip under his shirt, the dark gray fleece rubbing against her knuckles as she felt up his firm stomach. The sounds of the television were drowned out by the intensity of his breathing, a growl coming to pass through his mouth as her fingers followed the ultra-fine dusting of hairs coming from his navel.

His breath hitched in his throat following the sound of his belt buckle coming undone and the zipper to his pants going down.

"C-Cold fingers…!" Noctis stuttered as she grasped his length from inside his boxer shorts. While the heat from his erection was amazing to the touch, she couldn't help but giggle at his choice of underwear. "…What? What is it?" he asked, fluttering open an eye to look at her.

Lightning only looked down at his hips. A pair of wine red cotton boxers decorated with caricatured reindeer. "Nice."

Noctis pouted and turned his head to the side in embarrassment. "…I thought it was funny." Lightning leaned in and kissed him again, giving him reassurance once more.

"Shut up, will you?" He gulped and nodded.

A gasp left his lips as she finally pulled him out of his confines, his cock standing proudly in the cold air amidst a tuft of neatly trimmed, black hair. Noctis found himself moaning wantonly at the sensation of her fingers wrapped around him, creating a slow pumping motion. His hips raised themselves instinctively, until it became a dull ache that simply needed to be relieved.

Suddenly, Lightning's lips left his mouth, and his eyes opened to see the cause. They widened significantly when he saw her situated at the apex of his hips, her head hovering dangerously above his aching erection.

Now, oral sex wasn't anything foreign to the either of them, though it usually involved Noctis being  _incredibly_  generous to Lightning, and nothing in return. But when it was time for the young man to be the receiver, two things were gained from that experience: firstly, that Lightning knew how to use her mouth, and secondly, that Noctis was reduced to a whimpering pile of goo just from that.

It pleased Lightning to see him so drastically weakened, to see him clutching the couch cushions with white knuckles and throwing his head back with a whine, just because she dragged her tongue along the vein of his erection. Noctis panted like a dog, watching her tease him like that, before clamping her lips around his crown. He sucked in a breath and let it slip through his teeth. What made things worse was that she looked so  _innocent_  doing it, like a girl with no cruel intentions, even though this was the same woman he'd been making love to for quite a while now.

Noctis swallowed hard, noting the way Lightning was knelt in between his knees, her rather shapely behind raised like a mountain, and his sweater that she was wearing pulled down by gravity, clearly showing the expanse of her smooth back and confirming his suspicions that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath.

_O-Oh god, she's wearing MY sweater without a bra…!_

His mind swirled into a haze right as she pressed more of his length down her throat, and the boiling heat in his stomach was threatening to spill over. He didn't want that yet.

"Lightning, I'm gonna come if you don't get off my dick right this instant."

The rose-haired beauty only gave him a smirk before sliding her lips off of his cock with a satisfying pop.

"C'mere," Noctis growled, sucking her back into a kiss and settling her on top of his body. A gasp left her lips as his large hands roamed the expanse of her back, as well as her bottom sitting directly on his now-throbbing erection. The heat from his cock made her shiver, and he could feel her core getting damp from the contact. He grinned against her kiss as he raised his hips, rubbing himself eagerly toward her clothed lips.

"Noctis…!" Lightning growled, and he hummed at the sound of his name in her voice. Carefully, she braced herself on the armrest behind his head and lifted herself into a kneeling position on both sides of his hips. His warm hands traveled up her thighs slowly, before hooking themselves on the waistband of her candy apple red panties. Lightning ground her teeth as the panties were slid down just a little bit, and her wet core was hit with cold air. It wouldn't be long before the chilly sensation was replaced by his hot touch, his index finger just lightly sliding over her folds.

"Noctis Lucis Caelum, I swear to Etro if you don't…!" She was getting frustrated now. Noctis smirked and simply watched her, her hips hovering right above his throbbing erection and his fingers pressed into the apex of her thighs.

"It's my turn."

Lightning let out an involuntary whimper when his thumb planted itself on her clit, rolling it around the pad in a steady motion. The rest of his fingers followed suit, but he wasn't merciful, opting to press two digits inside her heat. Then began the consistent in-and-out motion of his hand, with Noctis taking extra care to hit her clit on every return. By now, Lightning was unabashedly moaning into his ear, having buried her face into his neck and holding onto his broad shoulders for dear life instead.

"N-Noctis…!" she whimpered, biting her lip to stifle another shameless cry. Her insides pounded his fingers, and he had out to smile at the fluid steadily leaking out of her.

_God, she's so wet…_

Noctis withdrew his fingers at once and pulled her down again, arms wrapped around her waist while he crushed their lips together. Lightning responded positively, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing back fervently. They moaned as their hips met, her dripping core resting right on his hard cock.

"…I-I'm gonna get inside you now, okay?"

"Do it before I twist your neck."

* * *

The heat inside the living room became just a bit too much to bear, and no amount of snow outside their walls could even douse the fire inside the apartment.

Lightning gasped and cried, her nails digging into the leather of the couch as Noctis moved inside her. Her insides burned wonderfully, and she arched her back off the cushions instinctively. His cobalt eyes wantonly scanned her body as he thrust into her. Noctis swallowed dryly, his eyes glued to her breasts as they bounced lightly now that he'd pushed up his sweater to her neck. Her legs were propped up against his now-bare shoulders, as he opted to ditch his fleece long-sleeve in the stifling heat.

"N-Noctis, god…!" Lightning grunted and whimpered, raising her hips to meet him. The young man above her moved with abandon, pushing and pulling his erection out of her like a piston.

The living room was bountiful with the sounds of their lovemaking, and hopefully the flurry of snow raging outside their window was enough to muffle them, lest they alert their neighbors to something that should best have been kept on the down low. Lightning's chest heaved and her cheeks burned under his intense gaze, cobalt eyes drawn directly to her writhing, and now slightly sweaty body. Noctis's own physique was open for her to ogle, his broad shoulders, tight and lean torso, and the 'v' of his pelvis going straight to his…

Her eyes flew open and she let out a choked gasp.

"D-Dammit, Noctis!"

"Was that…too much…?!"

His breaths were short and he ground his teeth together in anticipation of his release. Noctis lost control of himself a long while ago, and his body moved on its own accord now, thrusting in, then out, then in again, as deep as he could reach, and as fast as he could go.

It wouldn't be long before Lightning crying out his name and she was spilling herself onto his erection, and he in turn was howling like a dog and bucking into hips until he'd emptied his hot seed into her. Tiredly, they lay on the couch – now tainted and in need of a hosing down – in a tangled mess, the contact of their skin letting each other know just how hard their hearts are beating.

Meekly, Noctis pressed his lips to her cheek and broke the silence. "…Y'know, you should dress like that more often in the winter."

"Why? I thought you wanted me to keep warm and bundle up." She raised an eyebrow playfully.

"...In a way, this was just as effective at keeping us both warm," Noctis replied with a smirk.


	7. VII. 3005

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this one is really short but it was for valentine's day so hurray i guess

**VII: 3005**

* * *

His skin tingled with cool warmth, his body stirring with the slightest movement in the thin sheets of the bed. Noctis's eyes fluttered open, a deep, dark blue emerging from underneath. When his vision went from a dreary blur to crystal clear, he immediately took note of the smooth, wavy figure directly in front of him, illuminated by the sunlight streaming in from the balcony windows. Her skin was pale, yet rosy, like a baby, and her pink, wispy hair draped over her shoulder as she lay with her back to him. Unconsciously, Noctis placed his hand on the curve of her hip right before the lace of her underwear, feeling her soft, cool skin. Almost instantaneously, she stirred, and Noctis could see her turn her head behind to look at him.

"...How long have you been awake?" The young man murmured, moving closer and kissing her shoulder.

"Up until you touched me," she whispered, scooting just a bit closer. Noctis had a penchant for sleeping shirtless, and his body was incredibly warm against her back.

Noctis kissed his way up to her cheek, before slipping his arms around her and finally pulling her into an embrace. "Do you know what day it is?"

Lightning scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's Valentine's Day. What of it?"

"...Well, what do you wanna do?"

She rolled around to face him, her face contorted into that of suspicion. "You're not going to pull some surprises on me, are you?"

"...No. Maybe. Or we can stay in bed all day and..."

She playfully slapped him on the chest for that.

"Ow...!" Noctis chuckled and pulled her against him again. He smiled down like her with disposition that reminded Lightning of the big bad wolf, and she was Little Red Riding Hood.

She sighed in defeat and caressed his cheek with a tender hand, giving him a sweet upturn of the lips to match. "...I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing this." Noctis then pressed his lips against her, kissing her with all the passion of a teenage boy in love, despite their first date being nearly two years prior.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes observed her, her cheeks flushed pink with shyness, and her full lips pursed and perfect. Noctis broke into a grin, his own cheeks red with embarrassment and mirth.

"...Gods, I love you so much."

Again, he dove in for a kiss, crushing their lips together with magnets, eliciting slight whimpers from Lightning. Her arms snaked around his neck, fingers entangling in his hair and closing and opening in a rhythmic motion.

"N-Noctis...," the rose-haired woman murmured, caressing the locks of his hair. She always liked him best in the morning, when he was at his purest and rawest form. His spiky hair tousled more than usual, yet so soft, like wild cotton. No business suits, no fake smiles, just the two of them.

Eventually, he rolled them over, his body settling in between her legs and his knees digging into the white, linen sheets. Lightning whimpered and pushed him slightly away.

"I see someone's excited," she grunted and crossed her arms and nodded over at the front of his pants, where it was already tenting underneath the soft cotton.

"Oh. Yes, yes I am." Noctis smirked at her and pecked her on the lips, pressing his body against her firmly. Lightning let out a light gasp at the feel of his hardness pressing against her thigh.

"N-Noct..." She mewled as he started to grind his hips against her, her fingers tightening his hair. Noctis continued to kiss her, then moving to her neck and leaving soft marks along her pale skin.

She fell back against the pillows as Noctis gently kissed his way down to her breasts, ample mounds of flesh sitting in her lacy, white bra. The young man chuckled inwardly; he never would have pegged Lightning as someone who wore lacy unmentionables and other such lingerie. The first time they ever met, when she stood there in her trenchcoat and her combat boots (she had been assigned as his new bodyguard), Noctis knew that she was someone who meant no nonsense, just from the way she looked at him.

Now, who knew the prince and his bodyguard would get along just a little too well, and it was to his surprise that she actually wore ladies' underwear, and not long johns like he assumed she did. Though, they were simple and effective, which she preferred over the highly frilly stuff with ribbons and bright colors. Eventually, Noctis thought it would be a good idea to introduce her to that world of mature, womanly interests. Even though that seemed like a lifetime ago, he could never forget seeing her milky skin turn pink in a pair of black, lacy panties…

"Hey lover boy, wake up," Lightning murmured, poking him on the top of his head. He blinked and looked up at her; turns out he'd been laying his face on her bosom for a couple of minutes now.

"Heh...sorry about that," he whispered with a smile in his tone, grinning up at her scowling face. It still amused him to see how vengeful she could be during sex, even though he knew how much she liked it when they played in the sheets.

She rolled her eyes and gave a sigh, before sitting up and reaching behind her for her bra clasp. Noctis watched dumbfoundedly, as she undid the clasps in seconds, the white lace flying to the side as she laid back on the pillows. The bodyguard steeled her gaze, her cheeks burning as her breasts were once again exposed to him. She gasped when the prince immediately clamped his lips over one of them, while his other hand delicately grasped the other. The heat pooling between her legs was starting to get uncomfortable, and she gripped his hips with his thighs. Noctis smirked as he flicked his tongue on a nipple, noting her discomfort. Groaning against her increasingly warm skin, he ground his hips against her, eliciting another moan.

Noctis continued his assault, peppering her skin with gentle kisses as he moved even lower down her body, across her stomach and along the hemline of her lace panties. Lightning watched him with bated breath, wondering what he was about to do, even though this situation should've been second nature to her by now. A soft grunt escaped her lips as Noctis pressed his face in between her legs, placing a kiss on right on top of her clothed heat. With light fingers drifting across her thighs, they slipped underneath her waistband and hooked on firmly before smoothly pulling off the offending underwear. An eager look burning in his eyes, Noctis lifted her legs and spread them apart for him to see.

The bodyguard grunted again at the sensation of his lips moving against her core, the little nips on her skin making her groan underneath her labored breath. "Noctis, please…," she moaned, her hands unconsciously burying themselves in his hair once more, exhibiting some sort of control over the situation. The prince only intensified his actions, unabashedly letting his tongue slip inside her. She tasted of nectar, something he could never have tired of in his lifetime.

It wasn't long before Noctis left the space between her legs, opting to kiss her once more. The emptiness in her core was quickly replaced by his fingers, pushing and pulling at a steady rhythm. Lightning moaned against his lips, clutching his shoulders to steel her weakening body. She couldn't resist herself, letting her hips roll against his fingers.

After what seemed like an eternity of torture, Noctis finally pulled away, and the rose-haired woman lay back against the sheets to catch her breath. The prince made quick work of his pajama pants, untying them and shedding the soft, dark blue cotton. He let out a moan of relief when his boxer shorts went down, releasing his erection from its confines. Without missing a beat, he pounced on her, covering her body with his and eagerly rubbing himself against her. Her legs swung around and wrapped around his waist, signaling her agreement. In one swift motion, the prince slipped inside her, and their unisonal moans resonated throughout the chamber.

Noctis started a slow, constant rhythm, biting down on his lip as she pulsed around his cock. Lightning moaned softly as he moved, the sensation of him filling her never really becoming anything close to familiar. It always felt new, and she writhed underneath him, arching her back off of the sheets. He watched her with intrigue, his tongue darting out to lick his lips at the sight of her being so vulnerable.

He leaned down and claimed her lips again, to which she obliged willfully, cupping his face with her soft hands. His own hands held onto her hips, anchoring them as he slowly increased his pace. Pulling out nearly all the way, before pushing all the way into her moist heat. Lightning gasped as his cock throbbed with energy.

Before long, Noctis's drive had started to kick in, and he was groaning out loud as he drove his hips into Lightning without relent. She threw her head back and tightly held onto him, her fingernails driving into his back. They left long, red streaks across his skin, which only amplified his drive even more.

Suddenly, Noctis felt his hair whipping around him, and a second later, his head hitting the pillows behind him. He felt the wind get knocked out of him as Lightning impaled herself on his hardness, eliciting a cry out of her. Noctis panted and stared up at her with wide eyes, the hypnotizing view of her breasts heaving as she pleasured himself on him. With renewed power, his hands gripped her hips tightly and he thrusted up into her, meeting her halfway. Lightning whimpered and bit down on her lip to stifle herself.

It wasn't long before Lightning let out a cry, spilling herself all over him. Just the sight of her experiencing her peak was enough to send the prince over the edge, and he too followed suit, lifting his hips off the bed to fill her with his seed.

The rose-haired woman fell forward onto her lover's chest, laying her cheek against his warm chest, now slick with sweat. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head sweetly.

"Let's get cleaned up; bet you my maids have been listening in for the last few minutes," Noctis murmured, meeting her with another kiss. Lightning kissed back meekly before shooting him a glare and pushing herself off of him. Noctis laid back leisurely on the sheets, enjoying the view of her bare bottom swaying back and forth as she walked to the the bathroom. Once he saw the last of her rose-colored hair disappear into the bathroom, he rolled over and reached over to his bedside table, pulling open one of the drawers. With some light shuffling, he pulled a tiny, velveteen box and admired it in the morning sunlight.

"...Happy Valentine's Day, Lightning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is going to be the last chapter for now since i'm still thinking up of the next chapter (which, I think I have an idea as to how that's going to go down)


	8. VIII. Wonderland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i actually got this idea on a whim (and very much inspired by a fic i read recently) so I hope you enjoy! ps. this is a very long chapter

**VIII: Wonderland**

* * *

A dead-end job working at the only pizzeria in town that stays open until four in the morning isn't usually the kind of "dream future" that any twenty-something finishing college would hope to achieve. At least, for twenty-one year old Lightning Farron, this wasn't the future she dreamed of when she was still a wee little girl back in fifth grade.

Bodhum was a  _very_  small beach town with a somewhat respectable university just around the corner. Everyone knew everyone, and anyone who didn't was usually coming in from Etro-knows-where to attend the local college (they conveniently made up a majority of Lightning's friends, because a change of face was…refreshing, to say the least). In short, Bodhum was, in and out of itself, a beach town filled with twenty-somethings looking to make something out of their lives during this so-called  _peak of youth_.

And Lightning was one of those people.

At least, working at the NORA Pizza Shack wasn't  _entirely_  the worst job in the world. Her coworkers were…good friends that also happened to go to the local university (as antisocial as Lightning was), and because the owner's son happened to be dating her little sister, she got some perks out of it, even if the cost was seeing that big, blonde, surfboarding oaf cozy up to her innocent, little sister.

Lightning shook her head; no, getting a week's worth of anchovy-and-scallop pizza every month was definitely not a perk.

At least Fang was around to keep her company. Normally, she'd preferred her day shifts because it meant busywork and moving around the kitchen while her coworker Noel worked the counter with his bright smile and confident attitude (and also snapchatting his girlfriend Yeul whenever he got a chance), but getting a night shift (and a raise, mind you) also meant meeting the new hire, Fang, who'd also just transferred to the university from some place down south named Oerba.

Now, night shifts (eleven to four in the morning) were supposed to be boring because Lightning had to deal with overcooked pizza and drunken idiots calling in at three-thirty for five large pepperonis and overall boredom (which gave her the opportunity to be alone with her thoughts and her overwhelming sense of ennui), but since the new hire came around, her night shifts have gotten just a little less unbearable. The loud woman was vibrant, even in the wee hours of the morning, and on more than one occasion the pink-haired stoic had to hold on for her dear life as Fang sped the rickety pizza van down the steepest hill in Bodhum. It was dangerous, heart attack-inducing work, but it was…refreshing, to say the least.

So imagine the look on Lightning's face when she walks into work at ten thirty one lonely Friday night, and she doesn't get the usual "what's up, flamingo", nor does she a tanned woman with her boots propped up on the front counter, chewing bubblegum. Instead, she sees her boss, Jihl, talking to a tall, young man with spiky black hair.

"Oh, Lightning, there you are," the blonde woman starts, adjusting her glasses in that  _more-proper-than-thou_  attitude of hers which makes Lightning almost snort. "This," she turns to the young man, "is Noctis. He's taking the night shift with you for the next year."

Lightning couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she blinked so many times her eyelashes were making whoosh noises.

"W-Wait, what happened to Fang?"

"Oh, don't worry about her, she's working day shift now. I figured day shift might need a little more help considering Mr. Kreiss spends the entire day sending pictures to his girlfriend, or whatever it is you youngsters do all day long. For the meantime, Noctis here is working with you because you happen to have been working here the longest and take your job more seriously than the others. So, get along you two!" Jihl promptly patted the both of them on the shoulder with a dry smile, before walking out of the pizzeria, her heels clacking on the off-white tiles.

Lightning's face is left in a state of shock, her eyebrows furrowed and jaw slacked as her boss drives off in her silver Mercedes, before turning back to the young man standing in front of him.

Noctis gives her a small smile and tips his complimentary uniform hat in greeting. "Hey," he says.

Her bright blue eyes widen at the baritone of his voice and she scrutinizes him for a moment in time after he says hello.

… _Black hair, either bedhead or just some weird scene kid hairstyle from 2008. Black eyes, at least I think they're black? They're kinda this darkish blue- whatever. Sharp jaw, broad shoulders, tall, at least six foot..._

"…Hi. Don't get on my bad side because we're going to be here for the next year all alone in the middle of the night,  _got it?_ "

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

An hour into the night shift and Lightning is already experiencing Fang withdrawals. She's frantically tapping away on her phone screen while hiding in the kitchen.

_fang what the FUCK._

_is this about me getting switched to day shift?_

_no fucking SHIT_

_GOD calm down princess it's not my fault_

_then WHY am i here with some stranger_

_BEATS ME boss said i was starting day shift next week_

_u g h okay bye_

Lightning pockets her phone into her miniskirt and walks out of the kitchen to check on the new guy. Noctis is leaning against the counter, sucking on a lollipop, and eyes straight out into the darkness outside of the pizzeria's glass windows. Upon hearing Lightning's footsteps out of the kitchen, he turned around, and with a smile on his pursed lips, beckoned the pink-haired woman over.

Lightning rolled her eyes and sighed. If she was going to be stuck in the night shift with the new guy for the next year, might as well make the most out of it.

* * *

The next time Lightning sees Fang is the following Tuesday, during the day shift. Fang is more than excited to hear what exciting things have transpired the last night shift.

"How is he? Is he a weirdo?"

Lightning gives her a look, before pressing her hands into the ball of dough in front of her. " _No_ , he's not a weirdo. He's just…really quiet. Nice, but really quiet. We rarely talk, and when we do, it's more like him asking where the keys are for the van because someone ordered three anchovies and a liter of Diet Coke at two in the morning."

Fang raises an eyebrow before dispensing more green bell peppers into one of the portion containers. "Is he hot at least?"

"Fang!"

"What? It's an honest question. If you're gonna be stuck with a guy in the middle of the night for seven hours, then he might as well be  _something_  to look at."

Lightning sighs and presses her knuckles into the dough once more. "He's…conventionally attractive. Tall, kinda looks like one of those generic clothing models you see on the billboards over at the mall. Dunno why he's working at this dump, though."

"Maybe because our garlic bread is to die for," the taller woman replied, smirking and crossing her arms.

"Fang, you  _hate_  the garlic bread here.  _I_ hate the garlic bread here."

"I know, but maybe he doesn't. Maybe he's into weird shit like that. Should ask him next time, eh?" Fang winks at her before returning to the front counter. Lightning sighs and rolls her eyes when she hears the loud woman tell Noel to stop snapchatting his girlfriend at work.

* * *

_Hey, do you like the garlic bread- no, that's a stupid thing to ask, Lightning._

It's a dreary Thursday night again (actually Friday morning, because it's currently 1:37AM), and Lightning is busy polishing the front counter while the strange, young man is in the back restocking cheese for the fifth time that night.

"Well, that's done and over with," he mutters, walking out of the kitchen in nothing but his black tank top, his uniform shirt slung over his shoulder.

Lightning gives him a once-over, her cheeks starting to burn at the sight of his bare, built arms and that prominent collarbone of his. "…What do you think you're doing?"

"It's  _hot_ , calm down," Noctis retorts, his chuckle a very low husk that makes Lightning's stomach do backflips.

Understandably, the kitchen could get very warm, and it was the middle of August,  _and_  they were still a coastal town. Maybe this guy wasn't used to the warm temperature yet.

"…Hey, I never got the chance to ask, but  _why_  are you here?"

The young man's eyes fly open and he furrows his eyebrows at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"Like, why are you working  _here_ , of all places?" Lightning decides it might be better to stare him in his pretty face instead of looking straight at his chest.

"Oh. Well, I got into some trouble back home, so my dad sent me down here for some  _disciplinary_  action. Y'know, parent-y stuff."

_Dad. So he's a daddy's boy that got into some trouble. Fun._

"And where are you from, exactly?"

"Lucis, up north."

"Ah, I see."

And so the rest of the night was spent recounting Noctis's crazy encounters back home. It beats having nothing to talk about until four in the morning, anyway.

* * *

"…and he has these crazy gang of friends back home that he gets into all these weird hijinks with, and-"

"Wait, slow down,  _why_ is he working down here again?"

Lightning pounds her fist into the dough a third time. "Because the police found him passed out in the woods with a hangover and half a pound of weed in his jacket."

Fang simply smacks her gum and stares at Lightning. "And that's a problem  _because_ …?"

"His dad is the  _mayor of Lucis_. Y'know, that giant metropolis up north." Lightning sighs and starts sprinkling cheese on the flattened dough like there's been a shortage on snow this coming winter (and it doesn't snow in Bodhum).

"Dear God, Light, you're abusing the poor pizza- you forgot the sauce!"

Lightning pounds her fist into the dough again before storming off to find the marinara sauce. "…I dunno if I can do it, Fang. I'm stuck with some…delinquent from God-knows-where for the entire year, and Jihl just expects me to sit quietly and- what if he pulls a knife on me?!"

The other woman scoffs and smacks her gum again, leaning against the counter with a smirk on her face. "I'm pretty sure if anyone's gonna pull a knife on anyone, it's gonna be you."

"Not. Helping."

* * *

The following night shift, the two of them are waiting out a dozen pizzas in the kitchen, so the kitchen is extra warm. Lightning's idly ignoring the heat and reading an article about chocobos on her phone, but Noctis has already ditched his shirt and is leaning against the counter in his tank top once again, desperately fanning himself for some chance of getting cooled down. It takes Lightning a lot of effort not to peek over her phone screen and look across at the tall, young man.

"…I'm fairly surprised a guy like you can make room in their schedule for a workout, even though I assume you party 24/7," Lightning mutters, eyes slyly creeping over the edge of her smartphone.

"So you're checking me out now, huh?"

"I am  _not_."

Noctis smirks at her and playfully sticks his tongue out, in that really cute, boyish way of his and immediately Lightning's back to reading about chocobos, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"Y'know, I thought you beach girls would be more…outgoing and wild. But you're perhaps the only girl I've had a decent conversation with since I arrived here, and you don't exactly fit the bill."

A fuse starts burning inside Lightning's head, and with a sigh, she puts away her phone and crosses her arms, glaring at the young man standing across the kitchen.

"Well, I'm sorry I don't fit the bill of 'young, crazy, and willing to sleep with you'."

Noctis chuckles again, his eyes doing that thing where he closes them and he actually looks like an innocent little boy. "I actually quite like it."

"Then you can suck my- wait, what?" Was she hearing properly?

"Yeah. You're different and I kinda like it."

Lightning stared at him for a moment, unable to say anything until the ovens rang with an audible ding. "…Oh look, the pizzas are done. Let's get them shipped out before we lose our jobs," she mutters, shoving his comment to the back of her head and slipping back into workaholic mode.

Noctis simply shrugs and slips his shirt back on, before helping her put the pizzas into their boxes.

* * *

The following two months fly by like airplanes, and Lightning's starting to lose any of the insecurities she's had about the new hire, who's starting to make the night shifts just a teensy weensy bit more bearable.

"So you mean to tell me that your sister is dating the owner's son?"

"Yes, and I resent every waking moment of it." Lightning draws imaginary pictures into the front counter with one hand, the other hand propping her face as she leaned on the counter.

"And that's the reason why you have a job at the only place in town that stays open past midnight?"

"Don't forget the  _delicious_ garlic bread," Lightning added, the sarcasm heavy in her tone.

Noctis laughed, setting down his cleaning cloth and bleach on a nearby booth table. "I actually  _like_  the garlic bread, y'know."

The pink-haired woman stopped rubbing her finger on the counter and looked up at him with a concerned look on her face. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously."

"But it's so…greasy, and the garlic is so strong…I think I'd have garlic breath for days." Lightning made a fake gagging noise, only to be met by more of the dark-haired man's laughter.

"I love garlic. Anything garlic just reminds me of home."

"Great, a  _sob story_."

" _Hey_ , that's mean!"

"I'm your  _superior_ , I'm supposed to be mean. And you're cleaning the windows wrong." Noctis kept his eyes trained on Lightning as she smugly left the counter and walked over to him, snatching the cloth and the bleach spray off of the table.

"You wipe it in circles like  _this_. If Jihl sees any streaks on her windows when she arrives in the morning, we're both dead meat."

"Just like whatever animal our pepperoni is made of?"

"Exactly. And that's a gross comparison." He only grinned and chuckled inwardly at the smaller woman next to him. Lightning smirked at him and shoved the cleaning supplies back into his arms. "Now keep wiping. If you finish all the windows in half an hour, I  _might_ just let you have all the reject breadsticks." She raised an eyebrow at him and walked back inside the kitchen.

Noctis let his eyes wander over to her hips (was it even regulation for her to be wearing miniskirts at work all the time), and he bit his lip with a low growl. "Aye, aye, captain..."

* * *

Lightning grimaces at Noel sending Yeul another snapchat of himself making a duck face, and resists smashing his face into the counter.

"So, how's things with Mr. Caelum?"

"Fine."

Fang stands there for a few seconds, waiting for the worst, but Lightning continues ladling marinara sauce over the dough, a completely unreadable poker face stamped on her mug.

" _Anything_  at all. Because from what it sounds like- or the lack of any comment whatsoever –you guys are either having a completely dandy time spending the wee hours of the morning together…or you murdered him and no one's heard of him in a week."

Lightning rolled her eyes and tapped the tip of her nose with the ladle ("Hey, that's gross!"). "Everything's  _fine_ , Fang. Nothing's happening that you should be informed about. And if anything  _remotely interesting_ is even happening, I would have told you by now."

"Hm…true," the taller woman replied, wiping her nose with her apron. "Still, the fact that you haven't said anything about him makes me really suspicious. I'm keeping my eye on you, Farron." She then pointed at her two eyes and directed toward Lightning.

"Just like how you should be keeping your eye on those pizzas burning in the oven right now?"

Fang's eyes flew open and she scampered over to the ovens on the other side of the room. "Oh shit, shit, shit…"

Lightning only chuckles to herself, but the buzzing of her phone in her pocket catches her off-guard. Fishing it out carefully, she checks the phone screen and a smile lights up her face at the sight of a person named "black chocobo".

* * *

Because Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, Lightning had the unfortunate chance of spending the cosplay holiday of the year inside the pizzeria. Not that it was really an unfortunate happenstance, but Lightning was quite looking forward to curling up under the covers with a bag of chocolates and some Netflix on her laptop, maybe Bram Stoker's Dracula or the Nightmare on Elm Street.

Instead, here she was, walking inside the pizzeria- more like stomping her boots on the tiles –when something hits her in the face and falls on the floor.

"What the-"

"Happy Halloween." It's that same baritone voice, but this time muffled, and Lightning notices he's wearing a cheap mask with the likeness of Elmo on it. "Have some candy." She then looks down and realizes a fun-sized Snickers just hit her in the face.

She immediately picks up the candy bear and tears it open, chomping down onto the mess of chocolate and caramel and peanuts while walking into the kitchen and flicking him in the forehead. "You're lucky I like Snickers, you idiot," Lightning mutters as she passes by.

Noctis pulls off the mask and follows her inside the kitchen with a grin, pulling out another mask from behind him. "Voila! I got you an Oscar mask too."

Lightning smirks at him and punches him in the arm. "Haha, very funny. Now help me with the pizzas; there are probably like a dozen college parties happening right now and we need to deliver lest we risk not getting paid next week."

"Got it, boss." Noctis winks at her before walking over to the oven and starting on getting the pizzas out. Lightning only managed a deep breath before getting herself back into that workaholic mode. This boy was going to be the death of her.

* * *

Four hours later, Noctis pulls the van into the very empty parking lot of the local supermarket ("20% all vegetables, huh?") haphazardly, the rickety old vehicle screeching to a stop as he easily takes up four parking spots right in the middle next to a cart station.

Lightning stretches her arms and places them behind her head leisurely, laying back against the seat. "I don't ever want to see another pizza ever again."

"Too bad you have work on Tuesday."

"Shut the hell up, Caelum."

She closes her eyes to ignore him, but he does that deep chuckle of his again, and she can't help but smirk.

…Within minutes, the front booth smells like smoke, and Lightning cracks open an eye.

"Is that a  _blunt_?"

" _God_ , no! It's just a regular cigarette," Noctis replies, laughing at her. "Wow, you really are a little miss goody-goody, aren't you?"

"I drink…on occasion. And I don't smoke either, so I would never be able to tell what a blunt is from a cigarette, if that's what you're wondering."

Noctis takes a puff of his cigarette and blows it out the window. "Geez, Lightning, I'm not  _that_  bad of a delinquent."

"I dunno, you're the guy who left behind a life of partying and was caught with half a pound of weed in his pocket," she snorted.

"That was  _once_."

"Please don't tell me your voice is so freakin' deep because you're a smoker." The young man only laughed at her, prompting Lightning to roll her eyes and smirk at him. "And I'm not miss goody-goody, that's my sister."

"Oh yeah?" Noctis turned to her with a sly grin on his face. "What can  _you_  do?"

Lightning scoffed and crossed her arms. " _Well…_  I already said I drink- not recreationally, mind you –and I surf."

"You surf?"

"You know, that thing where you stand on a board and ride on water. Wouldn't blame you if you northerners have never heard of it."

Noctis snorted at her and lightly nudged her on the arm. "That's just rude. You should take me sometime."

"It's almost  _winter_ , you idiot."

He laughs again, and Lightning couldn't resist smiling at the boyish, youthful, young man.

"You know, you  _almost_ make me wanna throw out this cigarette," Noctis quietly replies, taking another puff of the small object and blowing the smoke out the window.

"Well, if you're not going to, then  _someone_ has to." Suddenly, Lightning lunged at his arm, all but throwing herself onto his body in order to reach the arm currently stretched outside the window.

"Uh, uh, I'm not wasting this smoke until you give me a good reason to."

Lightning turned her head to glare at him, but it was there she realized just how close they were to each other. So close enough that she could actually see the blue in his eyes, reflected nicely in the moonlight, and how nice and moist his lips look and-

"I can think of one thing that's already better than smoking."

"I can think of one too."

"…Are we thinking about the same thing?"

Lightning blinked and watched Noctis as he took a moment to ponder upon his next course of action.

"…Yeah, yeah we are."

Instantly, their lips connected, and her hands were entangling in his hair- it was just as soft and feathery as she'd imagined –and somewhere along the line he'd dropped the cigarette and those firm arms of his were wrapped around her torso. The kiss was messy, teeth clacking at odd places and Lightning couldn't breathe, and she had to brace herself against his chest when they finally pulled apart.

"…Oh my god, that was my first kiss," was the first thing she'd muttered when they finally came up for air.

Noctis immediately burst out into crazed laughter, prompting the woman on his lap to punch him in the arm.

"Ow!"

"That's not funny!"

"No, I mean- wow, gimme a second here,  _whoo_  – you mean to tell me you're a twenty-one year old bombshell who's never kissed anyone?"

"Yes- wait,  _bombshell_?"

Noctis chuckled. "You're hot, you're attractive, whatever. But you've  _never_  kissed anyone? Ever?"

Lightning averted her gaze and glared into the passenger seat instead. "Hmph."

"I'm sorry, Light," he managed in between wiping his eyes and letting out little chuckles. "If it's any consolation, you're not a  _bad_  kisser…?"

" _Shut up_."

"But why-"

"It's never been a thing, okay?!" Lightning blurted out, her face red and her eyes boring holes into the Noctis's skull. The young man blinked and let go of her, and was quickly pressing himself further into his own seat. "It's…when you grow up in a town where everyone knows each other, it's kinda difficult to see yourself getting cozy with anyone."

"…Wow. That's actually a legitimate reason."

Lightning growled at him. "What, are you actually surprised that you met a girl that's not all about sex and passing venereal diseases along?"

The young man laughed nervously and raised his hands in defense. "No, no…I already told you that I like that you're…nothing like that, which, is terrifying actually and not an all too accurate of my experiences with the opposite sex." Lightning scoffed at him and smirked while Noctis simply cocked his eyebrow.

"So…what does this mean?"

"That I get to kiss you again?"

Lightning looked at him with a dead serious look, but she knew she couldn't resist sinking her fingers in his hair again.

"…Sure, whatever."

* * *

_hey beautiful :)_

_shhh dont call me that i feel awkward and cheesy_

_speaking of cheesy, shouldn't you be attending to the pizzas right now?_

… _naturally yes, but im always on my phone anyway so_

_man i wish i was day shift instead :(_

_go ahead, switch back with fan e_

_that's just rude y'know~_

Lightning couldn't help but inwardly grin at her phone screen, as she idly kneaded her palm into another ball of dough. Just as she was about to reply, the device was suddenly snatched out of her hands, and her eyes flew open in search for her personal belonging.

"Now, let's see what all this is about…," Fang muttered, eyes squinting at the phone screen. In less than two seconds, those squints blew up, and she turned around, holding the phone tightly to her chest. " _Ohohoho, you did_ _ **not**_ _."_

"Fang, if you know what's good for you,  _you'll give me back my phone_."

"Is this why you're all so smiley and positive all the damn time now?!"

" _ **Fang**_."

"Oh my goodness, Lightning Farron has a boy-" Lightning, like her namesake, was quick to clamp her entire hand over her friend's big mouth.

"Zip it, bitch, or I'll pull that knife on you like you said I would."

Fang laughed and pushed her away. "You don't want to admit that you actually might have a thing for this guy?"

"Well…"

"Well, what? So he called you beautiful, he's flirting with you and you're kinda being a flirt too. Don't tell me you guys have…" Lightning huffed and crossed her arms, diverting her gaze to a box of cheeses sitting on the far counter. The loud woman's grew even wider and she fell into a laughing fit. "You guys, you did the-"

"We didn't do  _anything_!"

"Lightning Farron, you know the moment you lie your ears turn the reddest shade of tomato-"

"Okay, so we made out in the pizza van-"

"- _ **you made out in the pizza van, I swear to Etro I am dying right now**_ -"

"It's a  _one time thing_!" But Fang was not convinced; in fact she was currently wheezing and holding onto a shelf full of boxes in order to steady herself. "Oh my  _ **God**_ , this is priceless!"

"Hey, what's the hold-up, you guys?" Noel's voice rang from the front counter, and Fang immediately straightened herself out while wiping the tears from her eyes. Lightning took the moment to snatch her phone back and shove it as deep into her pockets as possible, all the while trying to convince herself that the reason why her face was so red was because she's so angry at her best friend, not because she might actually have a thing- no, because she  _does_  have a thing for the new guy.

"No, but you have to tell me everything that happens, Light! This is monumental! Lightning kissed a guy and it was  _voluntary_."

"No, Fang, I'm not telling you anything," she replied, unfolding a pizza box with such knife-like movements that she might just end up tearing the box in half.

"Does Serah know-"

"Of course not!" Lightning inhales so deeply that she can smell just how pungent the kitchen really is. From the freshly chopped garlic to the stinky cheeses that Jihl likes to use for their so-called "artisanal" pizzas, it wasn't a surprise when Lightning had to cough out of disgust.

"Oh my God, I'm the first one to know, am I?"

"…Maybe."

Fang then pulled Lightning into a bear hug. "Goodness, I am so proud of ya! Here I thought you were going to die lonely and have no kids-"

"Fang. If you want me to tell you  _anything_ , shut up."

"…Gotcha."

* * *

"So, Fang knows?"

"Of course, she does," Lightning mutters, as they stand in the back room together restocking boxes of canned sauces. The back room is dusty and dim, the rusty shelves are piled high with boxes filled with…whatever, and Lightning could only wonder what kind of nasty, MSG-filled stuff they were stuffing into their pizzas (they started selling more varieties of the "artisanal" pizzas that Jihl was raving about, but as far as she was concerned, it was just extra parmesan and mozzarella on a pepperoni and sausage pie).

"And whose fault is that, exactly?" Lightning resisted the urge to kick the chair from underneath Noctis, who was currently tiptoeing on it to try and get the box of canned whatevers into an empty space on the top shelf. Instead, she looked up and managed a peek of the small expanse of skin underneath his shirt, and  _boy_ , was he built.

Lightning quickly averted his gaze and he started to come down from the chair, and Noctis was left to wonder why she was staring at a lone spider-web on the electrical panel inside the back room.

"Let's get back to work. There's garlic bread to be baked," she finally muttered, turning on her heels to head back into the kitchen.

"Delicious," was the only he could say, and Lightning noted the low growl in his tone, making her shiver and nearly stop in her tracks as they both walked out of the back room.

Noctis Lucis Caelum was going to be the death of her.

* * *

It's been three weeks since the kissing event, and the majority of their time together during the night shift has literally been spent either bickering about sausage versus pepperoni, having vegetable wars over the front counter, or…having very intense makeout sessions out of spontaneity. And it wasn't difficult for Lightning to admit that she was very,  _very_ attracted to this conventionally attractive, dark-haired, baritone, sickening-to-the-core-ly sweet, adrenaline junkie…even if she couldn't say it out loud. Yet, anyway.

Here they were, playing an air hockey game on his giant smartphone ("big hands, bigger phone?") at two in the morning because it's the middle of November and no one in the right mind would even try going out for a slice of pizza in the middle of the night at the eve of winter. Despite that certain relief, only one thing remained on her mind: Thanksgiving.

For sure, Noctis would be home alone at who-knows-where because he's the only one down here and the employees here at the NORA Pizza Shack were probably the only people he knew down here in sunny, ol' Bodhum. In an ideal world, they would have planned their Thanksgiving dinner together, and she would gladly take him home for the family to meet, but this wasn't the world of fantasies and unicorns, so of course she's here avoiding the issue while swiping her finger all over the top half of Noct's giant smartphone.

"…So." She blocks the puck in front of her goal.

"…So…?" Noctis jabs at the hockey punk, sending it flying toward Lightning.

"…Thanksgiving is this week." Lightning blocks the puck again, reversing its direction towards him.

"…And you want me to go to Thanksgiving dinner with your family."

"...Um." The lapse in thought lets Noctis score the winning goal, and Lightning lets out a sigh in defeat. "Okay, yes, I want you to come have dinner with us, but at the same time, I'm absolutely anxious about this…whole thing."

Noctis nodded along, that obnoxious, know-it-all smirk on his face. "Yes, this whole thing. You mean:  _us_."

Lightning glared at him. "Yes,  _us_."

"I understand, Light…and even if I did want to come, which, I  _do_ , I won't."

"It's totally okay- wait,  _what?_ " The pink-haired woman stared at him as he stood up from his chair behind the counter and stretched his arms with a yawn.

"I'm heading back up to Lucis for Thanksgiving. I'll be back for my shift next Wednesday, though. I hope you won't miss me too much." His voice lowered to a smooth drawl as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Lightning only sighed and leaned into his embrace.

"You're in over your head if you think I'm going to miss you. I already only see you like…three, maybe four times a week, and that's only because we have the same shift together, idiot. Speaking of," she turned her head and looked at him, "do you ever leave the house? Like ever? I never see you in town… _not_ that I do want to see you, because I don't, your face irritates me,  _your everything_ irritates me, but case in point: where do you even go?"

Noctis tipped his lip over in thought, prompting the girl in his arms to raise an eyebrow.

"…Well, for starters, I live in an apartment a little farther from the town, so I have to use my car to get around. You've seen it; the shiny black sedan parked out behind."

Lightning's eyes widened. "That's  _your_  car?"

"Yeah, so case in point: I only ever go out to town once a month when I need to pick up groceries because it saves  _gas_." Noctis cocked a brow and nodded with a smile, making him look like he was in a toothpaste commercial.

With a scoff, Lightning pushed his face away and wrangled herself out of his grip. "…C'mon, we need to make a fresh batch of  _artisanal_  pizzas for tomorrow."

* * *

Thanksgiving dinner was…

Well, for starters, turns out Serah was invited over to have dinner at her boyfriend's place, and the last thing she wanted was to be in the same room as that oaf and the  _owner_  of the place where she was currently wasting her life away at.

Now here she was, sitting on her couch back home while sifting through TV channels, and a box of one of the  _artisanal_  pizzas they had lying around back at work. A cheesy, greasy mess of asiago, parmesan, mozzarella, and Portobello mushrooms. No one had ever picked it up, and she doubted anyone wanted it anymore, so free grabs for her.

Halfway through an episode of  _The Life and Times of the Rich and Famous_ , her pocket suddenly buzzed to life and Lightning quickly fished her phone out, squinting at the bright screen inside the dimness of her living room.

_how's dinner?_

_shouldnt i be asking you that_

_true true we're just having some wine rn and my dad is pretty wasted_

_i wish i had some wine right about now im on the couch with some pizza_

_wait what_

Lightning sighed and rolled her eyes before replying to his text message.

_my lil sis is eating dinner at her bf's house and you know how that goes down_

_ah kk_

_well ill see you next wednesday hf at dinner_

_miss you 3_

_p_

With the most dramatic, exasperated sigh ever, she threw her phone onto the other side of the couch, hoping not to deal with it until the end of the night.

* * *

It didn't faze her in the least to see him idly tapping away on his phone when she walked in the following Wednesday night, but the look on his face meant that he clearly was happy to see her again after being away from her for what was technically two days.

They quickly fell back into their routine of unloading and loading pizzas, garlic bread into the oven, chopping garlic and bell peppers in the kitchen to fill up batches of supply. And this didn't go without the occasional brushing of the hands, or playful elbow nudging while polishing the tables.

However, it wasn't until the clock struck two o' clock that Noctis finally made his intentions very,  _very_ clear.

Light blue eye trained on the screen in front of her, Lightning was deeply entranced by an article about the welfare of chocobos when those strong arms snaked around her waist, accompanied by a pair of soft lips on the shell of her ear.

"…Noctis, knock it off."

"I missed you, Light, I really did," he whined, instead pressing his lips on the crook of her neck that wasn't blocked by her pink locks.

"I…realize that…" What Lightning also realized was that it was getting increasingly hard to breathe properly when an attractive young man is threatening to leave hickeys all over your neck. "N-Noct, please…" It wasn't until she turned her head to face him that he seized the opportunity to press their lips together. The action caught her off-guard, eyes flying wide open and a muffled yelp leaving her mouth as she pressed her palms against his shoulders. Turning around to face him just made it worse for her, and now she was pressed against the front countertop, furiously kissing this beautiful young man.

Lightning cursed inwardly and stopped resisting her body's metaphorical magnetism, and suddenly one of her hands was curled up in his already messy black hair, pushing his uniform cap to the ground with a light thud. A moment for breathing let the taller man slip his tongue underneath, and suddenly she found herself mewling when he pressed his tongue against her's.

_I swear to God, if a customer walks in right now…_

…And that's how Lightning Farron lost her virginity.

* * *

Mind you, she never even thought she'd ever lose her virginity in this lifetime of her's, and if she did, she'd imagine it'd be just a tiny bit more…romantic, not propped up on the counter top in the kitchen and her miniskirt hiked up and her panties dangling from her left leg, and a handsome, shirtless young man trying his damndest in between her legs to make her orgasm (and she  _did_ ).

And the worst part? Absolutely  _nothing_  has changed between them. The moment they were back out there in the front counter, he was back to sending her sly glances while wiping down a window, and she was back to growling threateningly at him while reading the web article about large, flightless birds.

The next morning, the first thing on her phone was a sweet "good morning" text from him, and Lightning rolled her eyes so hard, she could've sworn she saw the back of her own head. Seeing him walk into work that night was no worse for the wear, Noctis sporting his trademark boyish grin that made her kidney do pirouettes.

…Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that nothing changed between them. This was all part of the college experience, the specific college experience that she was missing out on. This was…refreshing.

* * *

She'd lost count of how many times they've had sex since he came from Thanksgiving.

"…Lightning, Lightning.  _ **Lightning**_."

She shook herself back to the present, nearly spilling her cup of beer in the process. "W-What? What is it?"

Fang cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay? You seem so out of it lately…is it Noctis? Is he doing weird things to you? Because I swear to God, I will knock him a new one and-"

"…Yeah, it's…it's Noctis." Lightning sighed deeply and stared at the liquid in her beer, swirling it gently.

" _ **That motherfuck-**_ "

" _Not_  in the way you think it is, Fang. Chill." Lightning glared at her before downing the rest of her beer and slamming her red Solo cup down on the table behind them. The company Christmas party was currently happening at a bar that Snow Villiers rented out somewhere in Bodhum, literally everyone associated with him or the pizzeria was here, meaning the twenty or so employees that worked the entire week, along with some others that Lightning's never seen her entire life.

"Then what is it, Light?" Fang scrutinized her for the longest time, as if staring through Lightning's soul could coax an answer out of her.

"I…I lost my virginity, Fang."

The taller woman didn't budge for a second. "…Wait, say that again?"

" _God_ , Fang, do I need to say it so loud that they can hear me all the way in  _Eden_?!" Lightning hissed.

Fang's jaw fell open for a second before she managed to finally get a coherent word out. "…Oh my God. This is really happening. You had sexual relations with a ma- mmph!"

" _Shut the fuck up…!_ " The pink-haired woman punched her in the arm, eliciting a whine from Fang.

"Geez, Lightning, excuse me if I'm happy that my friend is finally putting herself out there!"

"Yeah,  _out there_ …" Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she scanned the room, immediately spotting Noctis mingling with some of the guys, possibly introducing himself.

"How was the first time? Is he  _good_?" Fang fanned her lashes profusely, like a child waiting to get a gift.

* * *

And so Lightning told her.  _Everything_ , as Fang originally requested.

From that first time in the kitchen, to that one time he parked the van behind a liquor store, to the time when he offered to drop her off at her home and he ended up going down on her in the backseat of his sedan.

"And it just… _happens_?" Fang looked both parts intrigued and horrified at how much sex her friend was suddenly getting herself into.

"I…honestly don't know how I do it," Lightning muttered, her face all warm from her fifth cup of beer that night. She remembered an offhand moment where he had fingered her in the middle of washing dishes, and she came so hard that he had to catch up before she accidentally dunked herself in the dishwater.

Fang shook her head. "You are a true pioneer, Light. Kudos to you for that sexual awakening of yours." The taller woman smirked and raised her cup in a toast.

Lightning growled at her drunkenly and met her toast. " _Louder_ , Fang, I don't think the kids in Eden could hear you."

"…Lightning, are you  _drunk_?" Both women turned to the source of the familiar voice, and there stood Noctis in all his well-groomed goodness.

"Oh, Noctis, I was just talking with…Lightning…" Fang blinked as the aforementioned woman suddenly pulled Noctis down for a breathtaking kiss. The young man's eyes flew open and he found himself staring blankly at Fang as Lightning made mincemeat of his lips.

The rest of the night became a sudden blur to Lightning, and it wasn't long before she saw nothing but black.

* * *

"…I'm never going to live down what happened at the Christmas party," Lightning groaned, before burying her face in her arms.

"It's just one Christmas party, you sour sock. Besides, literally everyone has pretty much pinned you both as an item, so if anything, embrace it!"

Lightning simply groaned even louder, and coupled with a thrown-in glare from her personally. Fang responded by dragging her off her stool behind the counter and pulling her into the kitchen.

"Instead of groaning into that beautifully dry-painted counter that I just wiped up, how about you groan and make some garlic bread, huh?"

"But I  _hate_  the garlic bread here."

"You can make it… _better_?" Fang grinned sheepishly at her before handing her a roll of dough and a tray of chopped garlic. "Inhale that pungentness and take it all in!" The dark-haired woman patted her on the back and skipped back to the front, ready to yell at Noel to stop snapchatting his girlfriend again.

Lightning let out a frustrated sigh and punched the dough, leaving a fist-shaped indent in its off-white flesh. "… _Pungentness_  isn't even a word."

* * *

"Still mad about the Christmas party?"

"Mad is an understatement."

"You wanna…make out a little bit?"

Lightning shot him a look that basically said " _seriously_ " and Noctis raised his hands in defense.

"If there's anything that can keep you under control, it's usually my mouth."

He was suddenly hit squarely in the face with an empty soda cup. "God, you're such a pervert. I don't even know why I like you so much." She groaned angrily and ran a hand through her hair.

Smirking to himself, Noctis picked the soda cup off of the floor and placed it on the table before striding over to where Lightning was restocking the cup dispenser and wrapping his arms around her.

"…If you think you're going to bend me over and put your dick inside me, you're gladly mistaken. Jihl was very explicit about the fact that she didn't want us doing…freaky things during night shift, even we  _already have and she just doesn't know about it_."

"You catch on quick, don't you?"

" _Amazing_ , ain't it?" Lightning sighed and simply leaned into his touch.

* * *

It wasn't until Valentine's Day that Lightning finally brought him home. Or rather, he showed up at her house with a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates ("How did you find my address?" "It's not that difficult to ask Fang, y'know."). She promptly smacked him with the flowers and snatched the box of chocolates, before slamming the door on his face and leaving him outside for a good five minutes.

"…I'm  _not_ letting him inside the house."

"Sis, he's your  _boyfriend_."

"He is  _not_  my boyfriend, Serah."

"Then how do you explain all of this?"

"Serah, the asshole's never even  _asked me out_."

"And if he does, would you say yes?"

"Of course not!"

" _Lightning._ "

"No, Serah."

" _ **Lightning**_."

"… _Fine_."

Lightning opened her door again, and he was standing there with his signature boyish grin, waiting ever so patiently in his rich boy designer sneakers, those perfectly dyed skinny jeans, and a really pretentious-looking dark gray sweater with some weird geometric pattern on the front.

"You know you always look beautiful to me," Noctis murmured with a wink as he stepped inside their abode.

"I really wish I could say the same," she muttered, rubbing her arms as she paraded around in an oversized red sweater and a pair of athletic shorts. Her hair was even poofier than usual, and it was suddenly apparent that she just woke up.

Noctis couldn't help but grin down at her and kiss the top of her head, leaving her to grumble and cross her arms.

A sound of a click later and Lightning snapped to the source of the noise with a crazed look upon her face, her left eye twitching as if she were a rabid animal. There, Serah was tapping away on her phone screen, humming happily to herself.

"…And that's for the record books. Now if you'll excuse me, lovebirds, my date is waiting outside. Try not to kill him, Light." Serah pouted at her big sis, but Lightning only glared at her.

"Don't do anything that would disappoint me."

" _Light_."

"I'm kidding. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

As soon as the door shut behind her little sister, Lightning marched past Noctis into the living room and threw herself on the couch, hugging a throw pillow to her chest and turning on the TV. Noctis only smirked at her attitude and situated himself next to her, hands in his pockets like a good boy for once.

Lightning noticed his posture and shot him a venomous glare. "…You're planning something. I can feel it."

Noctis chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"If you aren't, then hand me the chocolates."

* * *

An hour later, the taller man had her pressed into the couch, their lips locked in a mash of tongues and teeth. Lightning moaned into his mouth at the feeling of his warm hand slipping underneath her sweater and pressing itself against her stomach.

She momentarily ripped herself away from him for a deep breath, before staring him straight in the eye.

"You…planned this," she breathed.

"Of course."

* * *

Spring break came and went like an eagle swooping down to catch a worm from the forest floor. The spring break rush meant a lot more business for at least three weeks, and that also meant more busywork around the pizzeria.

Fang had never seen so many pizzas and garlic bread come and go in such a short period of time, and Jihl thought it was a great time to start introducing  _artisanal pastas_  to their menu (it was literally chicken alfredo and mac and cheese).

Despite the pizzeria going into double time during both the day and night, that didn't stop Lightning and Noctis from keeping their budding relationship from wilting away.

Lightning had to admit, they had a very healthy connection. He made her smile nearly all the time, and she was never upset around him. He was so patient with her, and the only other person who might be able to handle her temper tantrums was her own sister. Maybe, just maybe…she was ready to consider him a boyfriend. Maybe she was actually ready to accept the fact that she was so deeply in love with some…generic, male model-looking, backwoods guy from up north, who's into partying and cheap cigarettes, who's generally so nice and a total teddy bear, but also  _fucks like a champ_ whenever they're all by themselves. Just the thought alone made her legs feel like jelly and her heartbeat quicken.

… _Oh my God, I'm in love_ , she thought to herself, her blue eyes widening in sudden realization.

"…Light, you in there?"

"H-Huh?" Lightning blinked. She was in Noctis's black sedan right now. They were driving to the beach, or rather, they'd just  _arrived_  at the beach.

"We're here, babe," Noctis replied, a chuckle sing-songing its way out of his pretty little mouth.

"…Right," she breathed.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she probably ignored Noctis the entire ride to the beach.

"…Right, we came here to have fun today."

And having fun might have been better said than done that day.

* * *

Their conversations didn't seem to be that interesting anymore, nor do they ever go off on a tangent like they usually did. Even his texts seemed to be a lot shorter than she'd remembered them being, what used to be sentences of his lovelorn rambling having sudden been reduced to one or two-word responses. Fang finally got transferred back to night shifts, but her discussions with Fang didn't hold her attention as well as Noctis did. At least they still had Friday shifts together, but Noctis finally stopped coming for work when mid-May rolled around.

Originally, she just thought of it as an anomaly, like the stomach flu or whatever, but he eventually became a no-show by the time the third night rolled around.

"…Hey, have you heard anything from Noctis? He didn't come into work the past few nights," Lightning asked the following day when her boss strode inside the kitchen while she was sprinkling some parmesan on one of their new "junior pies".

"He quit."

Lightning whips around so fast, her hair flies about her like a saucer. "Wait, what?"

"Well, he didn't  _quit_ , but-" She had already drowned out her boss's voice, and the cheese shaker in her hand falls to the counter with a clang, spilling cheese all over the dough.

Lightning ends up having to remake too many pizzas that day; she keeps forgetting the sauce.

* * *

For the past day and a half, it seems like literally no one is on the other end of the phone that she keeps trying to text to. No way to get a hold of him, whatsoever, and it's pissing her off. So much that she managed to track down his apartment and hitch a bus ride over there.

I mean, how dare he not tell her anything? How dare he quit out of nowhereWhat kind of asshole did he think he was? So many theories swarmed her mind on the bus ride over. Was it her fault? Did she say or do something terrible? What could have happened that Noctis would suddenly decide to go under the radar like this?

It was already late afternoon by the time she'd managed to arrive at his apartment complex, and before she could control herself, her legs were already marching up the stairs to the third floor, door number 36.

… _Simple question and answer, Lightning. This is simple,_  she tried to tell herself. And right as she was about to knock on the door, it had swung open, and she found herself face to face with the one man she'd been trying to get a hold of the entire time.

His eyes were wide and she was petrified in her spot, jaw slightly ajar, but he was the one who managed to speak first.

"…Lightning."

"…Noctis." Her voice was low, almost like that of a leopard right before it was about to maul a deer to shreds, and it was easy to tell that she was one second away from either screaming at the top of her lungs or storming off.

"I-"

"Why did you leave? Why did you quit? You haven't been answering my texts… Noct, what's going on?" Lightning stared up at him with confusion in her eyes, as if he'd literally just spat on her.

Noctis looked down at his shoes and sighed deeply, before looking past her.

"Well?" She starts to tap her foot impatiently, that thing that she always does.

"…I'm going home."

She avoids his gaze for a second, trying to comprehend what just came out of his mouth. "…What are you…?" Upon looking back at him, she just notices the luggage he's holding by his side, and the barebones apartment behind him.

"…Lightning, I was never meant to stay here for more than a year. I thought you knew."

Her eyes go blank, and she remembers the first thing her boss told her when they first met.

" _This," she turns to the young man, "is Noctis. He's taking the night shift with you for the next year."_

Then she turns to him and stares him straight in the face, as if looking at him would give her all the answers.

"B-But…"

"…Lightning, I-"

"…What happened to…whatever we are? What happened to  _us?! What happened to all that time we spent together, what the hell was that?! I was so ready to_ _ **finally**_ _let you in, and then you go and pull this shit on me! I should've never trusted you!_ "

"Lightning,  _ **please**_ -," Noctis retorts, taking her hand in his, but she swats him away. Hot tears are already streaming down her face, but she doesn't realize it and she starts yelling.

"You…you're all the  _same_! You go around thinking the world loves you and you can have everything you want, but when the world finally decides to give you what you want,  _you throw it all away._ " Her voice cracks, and Lightning is hastily wiping away at her tears with her sleeve. "… _Fuck you, Noctis. I hate you so much. Have a good life back in Lucis with your weed-smoking buddies, you_ _ **asshole**_ _…!_ "

Before Noctis could even react, he suddenly gets the wind knocked out of him, and instantly he's grabbing onto the nearest thing to regain his balance. His vision is blurred, but it's not hard to tell that Lightning is running down the stairwell when he hears her footsteps rushing down the concrete. Warm blood drips from his nose, but that's the least of his concerns.

* * *

She runs and runs for miles, until she's no longer familiar with the route back to the bus stop. Her resolve finally gives way, and the rush of emotions hits her hard like a truck speeding down the steepest hill in Bodhum.

Her knees buckle underneath her as she whips out her smartphone, immediately pulling up the closest contact that she could find.

* * *

Fresh out of the shower, Fang looked forward to a night of nothing but Netflix and microwaveable tater tots when her phone started buzzing from its charger port in the living room. A few strides and the phone was next to her ear as she booted up Netflix on her HDTV.

"…'Ello, Fang, speaking."

"…Fang, it's me."

The dark-haired woman's eyes widened. It was Lightning, but…

"…I-I don't know where I am, can you  _ **please**_  pick me up…?"

She was crying.

* * *

Lightning had cried herself to sleep for a week straight, and right after that, she went back to being straight-laced Lightning Farron, the workaholic who lives and breathes garlic and parmesan. The change was so jarring to the rest of her coworkers that nearly all of them avoided her for a good week or two.

"…Y'know, I'm just waiting for you to start drowning in chocolate or downing beers like you did at the Christmas party, but it's  _just not happening_. You are taking this very well, I'm impressed."

No response.

"Except for that part. You know you can go through a breakup without being entirely antisocial, Light."

"Shut up, Fang," she says, not for once pulling her eyes off of the pizza she was currently assembling (she was now assembling pizzas at about twenty-four per hour).

And shut up she does. Needless to say, she'd not gotten a single text or call from Noctis ever since then, and just the thought of not seeing his name pop up on her screen was enough to give her some semblance of peace.

Falling back into the same routine as before the  _demonspawn_  himself popped into her life was more than rewarding, if somewhat monotonous and boring. But time passed by like ducks going down a river, before she could realize it, it was August once more.

* * *

Friday night shifts were all her now, and just her since… _he_  left the building. But she supposed it was alright. Being alone on Friday nights let her sort all her thoughts out without interruption, and what better place for meditation than an empty pizzeria in the middle of the night?

Lightning let out a tired yawn as the neon, 80's style clock on the wall finally hit 4:00AM. Closing time.

As she turned around in her stool, the front door swung open and the bell rang throughout the empty shop.

"…I'm sorry, but we're," Lightning starts, but her voice falters when she finally sees who just walked in the door, "…closed."

Noctis is standing there on the other side of the counter, in his stupid boots and those silly designer jeans of his, and a plain-looking black jacket in which his hands are currently pocketed. Lightning's head is suddenly swirling, and it takes nearly all of her willpower not to vomit all over the recently-polished floor tiles, or scream.

He simply watches her quietly, no attempt to move or speak.

Lightning takes a deep breath and steels herself, before staring him straight in the eye and pulling out her phone.

"Light," he starts, but Lightning is faster.

" _You have until the count of three to leave the premises, or I'm calling the cops_ -"

" _ **Lightning**_."

Lightning gulps and her hand curls into a fist, and it's just so easy for her to reach over and punch the living lights out of him.

"… _Please_. Just hear me out." His voice cracks and that normally confident voice of his is suddenly shattered before her eyes.

"…Five minutes. I'm giving you  _five minutes_."

Noctis inhales deeply and scratches his head sheepishly. "Gee, where do I start…okay, yeah. I'm a dick, I'm an idiot, and I'm a fucking asshole because I never bothered to make it very clear what I felt about you. I love you, okay, and I'm sorry that you never heard that from me because I…was never sure about what our relationship was. Did I like you? Yes. Did you like me? Maybe, maybe not. Were we a thing? I…I don't know. I never got to find out." He let out a sigh and stared at the floor dejectedly.

"…When I said I was going back to Lucis, I was going to ask you to come home with me. I wanted you to meet my friends and family, this wonderful girl that I met when I was away, that made this entire experience worth it for me. I wanted you to spend the summer with me, but I never got to ask you because I thought we weren't  _a thing_. That there was no foundation for  _us_. Y'know, I really thought you were pushing me away that day at the beach. So I backed off."

At that point, Lightning started to sniffle, avoiding his gaze shamefully. "… _Noctis_ …"

Noctis shook his head. "…It's fine if you don't forgive me. I'm sorry if I made you cry again-"

"This is stupid."

"…?"

" _I'm_  so stupid. I can't believe I made you think I hated you… _God_ , I'm such an idiot…!" Lightning suddenly began nervously laughing behind her teary eyes, and Noctis could only wonder what in the world was going on.

"Lightning…?"

"…I wasn't pushing you away, Noct. I was just…so distressed by the fact that I might actually be  _in love with someone_. It was so hard for me to get my head around that fact that I only finally realized it when it was already too late."

Slowly, Noctis lifted his gaze back up to her.

"…Does this mean…?"

"…Get over here, you bastard."

* * *

As it turns out, Noctis had moved back to his apartment a week prior and it was a surprise for Lightning to see that his apartment had been fully furnished again when they drove back to his place after closing up shop.

But admiring the furniture was not the reason why Noctis had taken them back to his place.

Lightning moaned as he planted his lips on her neck, pinning her against his bedroom door with the tenacity of a hungry animal.

"…I missed this…," he murmured, before pressing another sloppy kiss along her jawline.

"As did I…"

Within minutes, they were sprawled on his bed, half-kissing and half-busily tearing off their own clothes. Her fingernails dug into his shoulder blades as he pressed his aching erection against her core, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing abrasively on her thin panties. Lightning could only moan at the sensation, shamelessly lifting her hips to meet him.

With quick work, her panties were tossed behind his shoulders and he was shimmying out of his jeans, left only in a pair of black boxer briefs that left nothing to the imagination.

"…I swear to Etro, Noctis, if you don't get inside me  _right now_ , I'm marching straight out that door and I'm  _never going to talk to you again_."

"Well, it looks like I can't take that chance, eh?" Noctis smirked at her and she responded with a growl, before pulling him down for another passionate kiss.

The boxer briefs were quickly disposed of, and Lightning whimpered at the sensation of his hot flesh pressed against her core.

"N-Noct, please…," she pleaded, clutching his shoulders tightly.

And so he moved, pressing into her inch by inch. Her eyes slipped shut and her mouth fell open, moans escaping from her throat as Noctis completely filled her. The man above her closed his eyes in ecstasy, struggling to stifle his moans by clamping down on his bottom lip.

"L-Lightning…," he groaned as he completely sheathed himself inside her.

Before long, he began a rhythm, savoring each push and pull of his hips as he moved within her. Lightning threw her head back against his pillows, her fingers curling in the sheets until her knuckles turned white.

"O-Oh,  _fuck_ , Lightning…I missed this so much…!"

Lightning is crying out now, because it's so  _good_  and the burn is  _great_  and it's been months since she last had sex with Noctis, and she never knew how much she would miss the feeling of their bodies moving in unison until now. With a grunt, she managed to tug him down for a kiss, her fingers gripping onto his hair for dear life as Noctis thrusted his hips with the power of a piston engine.

Her cries were simply muffled by his lips, and that sinfully tactile tongue of his. It wasn't long before Noctis was burying his face in the crook of her neck, frantically kissing the salt of her skin before whispering, "… _I'm gonna come…I'm gonna…!_ "

He started driving his hips deeper into her, and for a moment, Lightning could only see white. She was halfway panting and crying out his name, her eyes stinging from the sweat running down her forehead. And then her hips were bucking and she was shaking, her fingers clamping hard on his damp skin. Her walls clamped down on his cock as he rode out the remainder of his high, with him spilling his hot seed inside her. She cried out as he did so, her fluids easily seeping out of her.

Noctis fell to her side with a tired huff, his heart beating way too fast but his body too tired to function any longer. Lightning weakly turned her head and pulled him in for a kiss, exhausted but still engaging.

"…Will you take me back, Lightning…?" he whispered, his voice too hoarse to be anything above a whisper.

Lightning nodded, weakly, before caressing his face with a gentle hand. "…Yes,  _God_ , yes, Noctis. I want you back…!"

* * *

Lightning doesn't show up to work that following Tuesday, and Fang nearly fears the worst when she seems to be later than thirty minutes until she gets a snapchat from a certain "lightningbolt513".

Out of both curiosity and concern, Fang opens the snap and is quickly greeted to a picture of what looks like Lightning…and Noctis (!) sitting side by side on the beach, the caption appropriately titled, " _im calling in sick today_ ".


End file.
